Red Wings prospect William Wallinder spoke with Rogle BK’s website’s Peter Ekholm, discussing the fact that, on his third try, he’s finally made the roster for Sweden’s World Junior Championship team which will take part in the World Juniors in Edmonton this August. Here’s a rough translation of the article:
Finally, camp for Wallinder: “It’s awesome to be here”
William Wallinder has taken part in his first camp with the Detroit Red Wings. Now he’s staying in Detroit to prepare for the World Junior Championship.
Defenseman William Wallinder will hardly get any time off from hockey this summer. Last week, he was on site in Detroit to take part in the team’s summer development camp, and he will soon be playing with the Junior Crowns [Juniorkrona] at the World Junior Championship.
“It was really cool to be on site to see their arena, training facility and explore the city, and of course to meet all the leadership and players,” says Wallinder.
The almost 20-year-old defenseman was drafted by the Red Wings two years ago, 32nd overall in the second round. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, Wallinder has not been able to take part at any summer development camp in Detroit. Last week, Rogle players Theodor Niederbach and Marco Kasper were also in Detroit. The latter was selected 8th overall in this year’s draft.
“It’s been a fun experience even though I had to miss the first two days due to cancelled flights.”
“They were intense days, with ice and fitness practice in the mornings, and then lectures and cooking. The afternoons were mostly free, so we hung out with other players, we were out and eating a lot.”
Last season was Wallinder’s first season with Rogle. He didn’t grow up with the SHL team’s jersey, but he was self-evident in the lineup during the spring. In 47 regular season games, he posted 19 points (4 goals and 15 assists), and finished with 1 point in 13 playoff games. His strong finish earned himself a spot on national team captain Tomas Monten’s WJC team which gathers in Edmonton early in August.
Five Rogle players have been selected for the Swedish team: Wallinder, Niederbach, Daniel Ljungman, Calle Clang and Linus Sjodin.
While the majority of the team first gathers in Sweden, Wallinder has chosen a different path for recharging. He’s going to stay in Detroit and connect directly to Edmonton.
“That’s how it’s going to be. I will stay here and get prepared. We train everyday both on the ice and work out. Then it’s also nice to be able to get used to the smaller rink before the tournament,” Wallinder concludes.
