Tom Willander Excited For Campus Life And Improving His Skills in Boston

From the outside, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind for Tom Willander. He's been in three cities in as many weeks: Nashville for NHL Draft, development camp in Vancouver, and a stop in Boston before he heads back to Sweden. He isn't fazed though, and says his body is becoming immune to jetlag the more he travels.

"Going back and forth, it just gets easier every time," Willander said.

His focus on getting better as a hockey player energizes him and makes him unafraid of change.

He's adventurous and more than ready for his college experience at Boston University, even though it's six thousand kilometers from home. He doesn't keep his excitement under wraps to spare his parents' feelings either. "I think they know," he laughed, saying he enjoyed his independence last year playing for Rögle BK in Ängelholm, which is about a six-hour drive from his hometown Saltsjöbaden.

He made the decision to play NCAA hockey because he thought it would be better for his development, and his sociable nature makes him excited about campus life.

"I'm just looking forward to the opportunity to get a lot better this year. Going to class and meeting new people, I feel like that will be fun as well," he said.

As a first-year student at BU, he'll take core courses and general studies before choosing a major in his sophomore year.

In between now and mid-August, when he heads back to Boston, he's planning to maximize time at home with his family and friends, which he usually does during the summer. His hometown, Saltsjöbaden, is on the water on the east coast of Sweden and windsurfing is a favourite pastime with his friends. He also likes to golf at the local course and says the thick forests on either side of the narrow fairways made him initially focus on his technique over hitting for distance.

"I feel like it's a good course to get started because you need to learn the basics and shoot straight and not fight the ball. It's good practice, because if you slice it just a little, you'll never see the ball again," he said.

He's going to spend quality time with his parents, sister and his dog, Cooper, who he's really going to miss while he's away. Cooper is an eight-year-old German Shepard that Willander describes as "very energetic, he loves to run off. He's very protective too, he's a great family dog."

With this new chapter on the horizon, he reflects on how influential his dad has been throughout his hockey journey. From the breakfast table NHL highlights to the car ride conversations to and from the rinks, he says he always looked to him for honesty about his game.

"He's probably the one I received the most feedback from throughout my years and I mean, it could get heated sometimes in the car after a game, but I feel like in the end it feels super good to have someone that really tells you the truth. I feel like that helped me a lot," he said.

Willander says his family plans to come to Massachusetts to watch him in-person a couple times throughout the season.

The training never stops, and he loves it. He's been doing on-ice and dryland training to get ready for BU's season and said Canucks' development camp was a highlight of his training this summer.

"The coaches were super great, they really knew what they were doing," Willander said. "The practices they put up were really good and the defender drills were really good."

He's always been a sponge for the game, picking up as much hockey knowledge as he can to elevate his play. Looking back on those car rides home, going over every detail of the game, he heads to Boston University with that same willingness to learn and a desire to make himself a better player.