While Axel Sandin-Pellikka grabbed the headlines with a four-point game, Tom Willander led Team Sweden in ice time.
There will always be a link between Tom Willander and Axel Sandin-Pellikka. The two Swedish defencemen were both drafted in 2023 just six picks apart, one by the Vancouver Canucks and the other by the Detroit Red Wings.
Part of that is fit. Sandin-Pellikka is the type of smaller, offensive-minded defenceman that might have seemed redundant on a team that already has Quinn Hughes, while Willander is bigger, stronger defensively, and has a physical edge to his game. Team Sweden faced Slovakia on Boxing Day in Canada's capital and, after a slow start, demolished their opponents, led by Sandin-Pellikka's four points, including a natural hat trick. The Swedish captain was a dynamo all game, using his elite mobility and skill to constantly create offence for Sweden, finishing the game with a whopping 11 shots on goal.
Offensively, Willander activated smartly from the point to create scoring chances for himself and his teammates, including a fantastic sequence in the second period where he stepped around his man and sent a high-danger pass to Zeb Forsfjall in the slot that just barely failed to connect before again jumping up the left side to get a dangerous chance on net.
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