On a Sunday morning in which former Red Wings players Christian Djoos and Mattias Brome have chatted with Hockeynews.se and Aftonbladet, respectively, regarding their decisions to head back to Europe after spending chunks of last season with the Red Wings…
A third Swede spoke with Hockeysverige.se’s Robin Olausson regarding a trajectory which he hopes will lead him to North America. Olausson spoke with Rogle BK defenseman and probable Swedish World Junior Championship defenseman William Wallinder, and here’s a rough translation of the interview from Swedish:
William Wallinder on his notable move from MoDo to Rogle
William Wallinder had a more difficult season with MoDo last year, but he still chose to make the jump to the SHL with Rogle BK despite the fact that he was aware that he might not get the same opportunity for ice time.
For Hockeysverige.se, the prospect now tells about his high-profile move and the journey from the J20 team to SHL success with Rogle.
“It may have gone faster than I thought,” says the 19-year-old.
Angelholm, Sweden. This week, the Junior Crowns have gathered in Angelholm to play their last tournament before the World Junior Championship, which kicks off in just over a month-and-a-half.
Someone who might remain at home is Rogle defenseman William Wallinder.
Wallinder moved down to Southern Sweden (Skane) from MoDo before this year’s season. He started the season with Rogle’s J20 team, and only got a few minutes of power play with the SHL team. Since then, however, the 19-year-old has worked his way into a bigger and bigger role on the SHL Championship finalist from last year.
“I’ve gained more confidence and everything has just flowed forth. The minutes have increased and I am really happy with the start of the season,” says Wallinder about this autumn, and he continues:
“I think my defense has become much more stable. It’s not vacillating up or down too much, but instead, it’s more like an even level. Since then, the offense has flowed thereafter.”
What has changed for you that has enabled you to take a permanent spot on the SHL roster?
“I think that, when I had to make the first jump in the beginning, I showed a stable game and showed that they can trust me. Then we had some injuries, and then I had to play more, and then the coaches were satisfied. Since then, I’ve kept my game at a good level.”
“May have been faster than I thought”
The Solleftea-trained defenseman played 7 games with the J20 league between September 8th and October 10th, and during the same period of time he’d been on the ice for a total of 25 minutes over the course of 6 games in the SHL.
Since October 14th, however, Wallinder has been a given on Rogle’s SHL team, where he’s averaged approximately 15:30 of ice time per game.
Did you think that it would be such a quick process to get ice time in the SHL after you started in the J20 league?
“I probably had some expectations and aimed to work my way as quickly as possible up to the SHL. But it may have gone faster than I thought. It’s nice to have the ice time that I’ve had lately.”
William Wallinder began his ice hockey career at home in Solleftea, but then he moved just over nine kilometers east to Ornskoldsvik, and was part of MoDo’s junior teams. There he worked his way up quickly, and in November of 2019, he debuted in the Allsvenskan as a 17-year-old prospect.
He then became an established defenseman at the senior level last season, but didn’t cement his role as a top defender on MoDo, and he didn’t take the big step that many expected.
Therefore, it came as a big surprise to many when Wallinder chose to leave MoDo to try his luck in the SHL with Rogle BK. A lot of eyebrows were raised in connection with the move, because it seemed a bit early for Wallinder to take that step forward, and some thought that he could develop more with a bigger role with MoDo.
“Saw the chance to earn a spot”
According to William Wallinder himself, he understood that it was a big move and he explains how it all came about here.
“I know there was a lot of talk, and I could understand that. I guess I didn’t have the best season last year. We had a pretty tough season as a team last year. Then you want to try something new and see if it works better.”
“Then I got a request from here [Rogle] and I got a lot of help from both Niklas Kronwall (who works for the Detroit Red Wings) and my agents. I had heard a lot of good things about Rogle. You saw how well it went for them last year, but they lost many defensemen and then I saw the chance to try and earn a spot.”
But weren’t you worried that you would have a worse chance of ice time at the senior level?
“There was probably a little doubt in the back of my head, but I didn’t think much about it. I was just trying to get there, play my best game and try to earn a spot. I always strive to get better and advance forward. Now I’ve taken the step up to the SHL, and it feels good so far.
It was a difficult season for both William Wallinder and MoDo last year. The team didn’t perform on the ice and the circumstances around the team made it difficult for the prospect to deliver at the level that he wanted to.
“We had a lot of coaching changes and it’s obviously difficult to change your game plan. There were several coaches who were fired and that affects everyone on the team. We had several players who disappeared during the season as well, and that affects the whole group.”
“You don’t have the same confidence that you may have had before, when a new coach comes in. It’s difficult there, you may earn less playing time and have to build up their confidence in you again. It was difficult last season.”
And after how it went in MoDo, did you feel that you needed a change of scenery?
“Yeah, it was a bit like that, actually. It might have looked different if things went better last season, I don’t really know. I wanted to try something new and everything felt right with Rogle. I’m happy that I came here.”
“Rogle is an incredibly good environment”
So far, no one, not even those who were hesitant about his move, can doubt that it was the right choice for William Wallinder, who has taken great strides in his development since he moves down south to Angelholm.
He’s improved his game all over the ice, but his offensive production stands out. With MoDo, he scored one goal and seven assists for 8 points in 61 games in the Allsvenskan.
With Rogle this season, Wallinder has already produced 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points in just 16 SHL games, which makes him the team’s second-best goal-scorer among defensemen and third in the internal points ranking for defensemen.
What has helped you get more out of your offense in the SHL?
“Actually, I think that it’s because I’ve gotten better on the defensive side of things. When you play better defensively, you win more pucks and stuff, and it creates more offense. Then you don’t get stuck in the defensive zone, and I think that is why my offense has gotten better.”
In recent years, Rogle BK has established itself as a power player in the Swedish Ice Hockey league, where, under Chris and Cam Abbott’s leadership, they’ve gone from a bottom team in the SHL to one of Sweden’s best teams.
During their years at the helm, the Abbott brothers have helped Rogle become an attractive team to play for, and a long line of players have had their big breakthroughs after they moved down to Angelholm.
William Wallinder is one of those who can testify to the special job that Rogle accomplishes in terms of player development.
“It’s an incredibly good environment, and very professional. The management team is awesome, the Abbott brothers have done an incredibly good job here. You get a lot of feedback and it’s a good environment, good coach and everything else. The team’s mood is good, too, and everyone is fighting to get playing time. It’s a good competition and it triggers everyone to do a little better.
May train with the legend
It’s not only Rogle who is to be thanked for Wallinder’s development. In 2020, he was selected in the second round by the Detroit Red Wings, which also helps him develop. The 19-year-old gets to work on his defensive game together with one of the foremost Swedish defenders of all time in Niklas Kronwall.
“It’s a big advantage. I get an incredible amount of feedback from him, and he tries to help me in every possible way. I’m so happy to have that opportunity.”
What are you working on?
“It’s all about the small details that I have to refine, that he helps me with. We have run a few sessions on the ice together, where we work on some details that are more important than you think. I can’t thank him enough.”
The Detroit Red Wings help Wallinder a lot, but it’s not the easiest thing to be drafted by the classic team at the moment. They have a huge pool of talent, especially with several exciting young defensemen like Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, Gustav Berglund and Moritz Seider, and the latter player is already experiencing success in the NHL.
In order for Wallinder to get to the NHL, he must therefore compete with several other great prospects for the limited spots on the Red Wings’ blueline.
“I guess it’s good, I think. When there’s more competition, you try to take in a little extra all the time, and it’s fun that there are good players from below who try to strengthen the team. Detroit is on the rise, you can see that.”
“Incredibly close at the World Junior Championship”
William Wallinder is part of the Junior Crowns’ World Junior Championship team preparation in Angelholm, where he’s one of seven defensemen on the Swedish team.
Already last season, Wallinder was selected by the team for the WJC, but he unfortunately couldn’t go to Canada because he tested positive for COVID-19 just when the team gathered in Sundsvall just days before their departure.
Not being allowed to participate in last year’s team means that the 19-year-old is now extra determined to earn the chance to show his stuff this time.
“Of course it was tough to get the message once you get onto the team that you got infected. It was tough but coach Monten said immediately that it was just a matter of regrouping for next year, and it’s lucky that I can be there again. It was nice to hear from him and I probably turned my thoughts around a bit now and then.”
“Now I’m incredibly eager to join the team. It’s important that I do everything to make the team this year, then. It’s something I’ve longed for. I’ve watched the WJC since I was a little kid, so it would be a dream come true to be a part of it,” concludes William Wallinder.
