Vancouver Canucks top prospect Tom Willander spoke to the media today about his offseason preparations and mindset as he looks to make the NHL. The Vancouver Canucks will be looking for a major bounce back season after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. After missing the playoffs, the Canucks have made a couple of roster moves including <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl/trades/edmonton-oilers-trade-evander-kane-to-vancouver-canucks' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>adding forward Evander Kane in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers.</a> On defense, the Canucks have been relatively quiet and will likely rely on internal growth from both roster players and prospects. One of the prospects expected to take a huge jump this season in former first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft Tom Willander. Today, he spoke about the pressure to make the Canucks opening night roster and the work he put in to move toward that goal. <h3>Tom Willander Discusses His Big Offseason In Preparation For An NHL Opportunity</h3> In an <a href='https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/i-was-definitely-more-dialed-in-than-i-ve-been-before-tom-willander-s-big-summer-prepares-him-for-first-training-camp-with-canucks' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>interview with Chris Faber of NHL.com</a>, Willander spoke about the step up in competition and physicality from the NCAA where he played with Boston University to professional hockey. What I kind of felt when I was there playing was that when you play with pros, hockey is very different from college hockey, obviously. When you play with better players, there are some things that are a bit different. Defending is harder, but parts of the offensive game are a lot easier because you get the puck quicker and earlier, so you really have more time than you would have to make a play at the college level. With this knowledge, Willander confirmed he stepped up his offseason training to a completely new level skating and training more than he ever had before. I was definitely more dialed in than I've been before,» said Willander when talking about his offseason training. The summers before, I did well, I was on the sheet a lot, but I stepped it up a notch this summer. A good portion of the summer, I might be on the ice for two sessions a day. With training camp just around the corner, Willander will have the opportunity to show off the improvements he made and fight for the NHL opportunity he has dreamt about his entire life.