The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a notebook article which discusses Red Wings prospect and Rogle BK defenseman William Wallinder, who was willing to admit at last week’s summer development camp that he’s not NHL-ready…yet.
Wallinder, 19, was honest with where he believes he’s at hockey-wise. There’s still room for improvement and catching up to do on the defensive end of the rink.
“I don’t feel like I’m there yet,” Wallinder said of being ready for North American pro hockey. “I’m going to spend another year in Sweden with Rogle and hopefully I’ll be ready after that season. It’s hard to tell (how playing in North America will be) but hopefully it translates pretty easy, so it’s like playing as usual.”
At 6-foot-4 and 191 pounds, Wallinder is maturing physically and already has shown aspects of his game that could translate some day to the NHL.
Last season at Rogle, playing at three different levels, Wallinder had five goals and 18 assists in 67 games, with a plus-12 rating. Moving from MoDo to Rogle worked out well.
“It went just the way I wanted,” Wallinder said. “I got my game going and my defensive game started to work (itself) out and went in the right direction. I (was) really comfortable this last season. It felt like everything was coming into place. All my defensive issues from the past, everything is good now.”
Wallinder gave a glowing report on Kasper, who the Wings selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft earlier this month.
“I played with him the entire season, he works hard,” Wallinder said. “He likes to go straight to the net and be a little dirty in front of the net. He’s a tough guy to play against. He’s a really skilled, too.”
