The Athletic’s Max Bultman profiles Red Wings prospect William Wallinder this morning:
It was around Christmas last season that William Wallinder began regularly practicing with men. At the time, he was 17 years old — big and fast, but with so much to learn.
Pär Styf, one of the assistant coaches for MODO in the Allsvenskan, had known Wallinder for a while already by then. Styf’s son, Hugo, is the same age, so he’s seen Wallinder’s game since he was young. But Styf noticed something from Wallinder’s early practices with the men’s team, at a level well above what he was accustomed.
“He did stuff that the other (defensemen) didn’t dare to do,” Styf said. “Because for him, it was all natural. He didn’t have to think, he just read the situation.”
Continued (paywall)
