One of the big stories coming out of Tuesday's loss was the NHL debut of Tom Willander. The 21-year-old defenceman hit the ice at Rogers Arena, logging 12:37 for the Vancouver Canucks. Overall, Willander did not look out of place as he finished with two shots in his NHL debut. 

Of Willander's 12:37 of ice time, 10:54 came at even-strength. According to Natural Stat Trick, scoring chances were seven to seven with Willander on the ice, while the rookie finished with an xGF% of 46.51. Willander was mostly matched up against the New York Rangers' fourth line, but did face Artemi Panarin for 4:07 at even strength. 

Willander also featured on the second power play unit. Overall, he played 1:22 with the man advantage and was credited with one shot. Lastly, Willander saw 21 seconds of shorthanded time, with New York failing to generate a scoring chance while he was on the ice. 

As for the eye test, Willander looked confident during his NHL debut. He jumped up in the rush, won a few board battles and was positionally strong in the defensive zone. Willander also finished the night with one hit, a takeaway and four total shot attempts. 

In the end, the most important detail from Willander's first game is that he looks like an NHL defenceman. There are still some areas he needs to improve in the defensive zone, but overall, he was impressive in his debut. Ultimately, it is easy to see why Vancouver jumped at the opportunity to select him 11th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. 

Willander and the Canucks begin a three-game road trip on Thursday with a matchup against the St. Louis Blues. With the amount of injuries Vancouver is dealing with, Willander is projected to once again feature in the lineup. Game time is scheduled for 5:00 pm PT and will be broadcast on Sportsnet. 

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