Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander and Team Sweden narrowly defeated Latvia to advance to the semifinals of the 2025 World Junior Championship.
The Vancouver Canucks will have at least one prospect competing for a medal at the 2025 World Junior Championship. Tom Willander and Team Sweden will move on to the semifinals in Ottawa but it was a very near thing against a plucky Latvian team that had already upset Canada earlier in the tournament. Sweden seemed to be in complete control of the game, taking a 3-0 lead in the second period while outshooting Latvia by a wide margin.
In fact, they took a 4-0 lead only to have the goal erased on a coach's challenge for offside. That proved to be a turning point in the game, as Latvia pushed back hard after the successful challenge, scoring two goals before the end of the second period to draw within one. What had looked like a cakewalk for Sweden turned into a tense third period. Even though Sweden outshot Latvia 18-2 in the third period, Latvian goaltender Linards Feldbergs stopped every Swedish shot, so just one mistake could have meant a tie game and overtime. Sweden, however, held on for the 3-2 win and will face the winner of USA vs Switzerland, likely USA. The Canucks' top defenceman prospect, Willander played a major role for Sweden in the win, leading the team in ice time with 24:12, including a team-leading 8:57 in the third period to defend the one-goal lead. Willander has led Sweden in ice time all tournament, averaging 22:41 per game, and has 5 points in the team's 5 games. Against Latvia, Willander played smart and, with one exception, mistake-free hockey for Sweden. Aside from the occasional activation up the boards in the offensive zone, Willander kept things simple in this game. He was quick on retrievals, using his skating to be first to dumped-in pucks and turn them up ice in a hurry, so that he spent as little time as possible in the defensive zone. It wasn't fancy but it was effective. The one exception to his mistake-free game was a costly one, however, as he was on the ice for Latvia's second goal that made the third period so tens
HOCKEY WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP SWEDEN VANCOUVER CANUCKS TOM WILLANDER
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