Wondering about William Wallinder

If I were to be asked which Red Wings prospect I’m eying most closely going into this upcoming NHL season, I would say that it’s 23-year-old defenseman William Wallinder.

The 6’4,” 190-pound lefty is really in his “fish or cut bait” season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and by that I mean that most Europeans who don’t make the NHL by the end of their 3rd season (which Wallinder is going into) tend to head back home to earn more money and notoriety while playing a less-punishing schedule back in Europe.

Wallinder is never going to be a massive point-producer, but he’s one of those 4-5-6 defensemen who could become a very important supporting piece on the Wings’ blueline, and this evening, the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker picks Grand Rapids Griffins assistant coach Brian Lashoff’s brain about Wallinder’s development:

Wallinder has spent the previous two seasons with the American Hockey League affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins, skating in 127 total games along with another 12 postseason games. His ice time increased with the Griffins this past season to the numerous call ups by the Red Wings of William Lagesson, who often served as the club’s eighth defenseman. 

In the mind of Griffins head coach Brian Lashoff, a former Griffins and Red Wings defenseman in his own right, Wallinder is progressing nicely. 

“He’s steadily progressing into a guy that I think is definitely has potential to play,” Lashoff said of Wallinder. “He, you know, took steps last year, playing more minutes, and we had (William) Lagesson with us at the start of the season, and then he went up to Detroit, so Wallinder took over a lot of that ice time. And I think he did well.”

Lashoff touted Wallinder’s skating and stickwork among his strengths that will eventually help him earn a full-time gig at the NHL level. 

“And, you know, obviously a great skater, you know, underrated. I think defensively, he has a good stick, and those types of things are going to be huge for him to take the next step to go to the NHL,” he said. “So definitely a guy that I think is steadily, steadily progressing to the point where he’s going to be knocking on the door.” 

Continued; to me, Wallinder is sort of a giant-sized Albert Johansson, a larger version of the Wings’ stalwart second-pair defenseman with longer arms, legs and reach through his stick.

Wallinder, like Johansson, isn’t physical per se, but he takes no shit from his opponents, and while Wallinder is going to have to battle his way up the depth chart, his 128 regular season AHL games’ worth of experience and steady play during that period of time suggest that he should be at least earning his “cups of coffee” with Detroit by mid-season, presuming that all continues to accelerate in terms of his steady development.