The Red Wings extended the contract of defenseman William Wallinder, 23, today. He’ll compete for a roster spot this fall as he’s no longer waiver exempt:
RED WINGS SIGN WILLIAM WALLINDER TO TWO-YEAR, TWO-WAY CONTRACT EXTENSION
… 2020 Second-Round Pick Has Skated in 194 Games with Grand Rapids Since 2022-23 …
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed defenseman William Wallinder to a two-year, two-way contract extension.
Wallinder, 23, spent the entire 2025-26 season with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, recording 20 points (2-18-20), a plus-21 rating and 23 penalty minutes in 66 regular-season games. The 6-foot-4, 208-pound defenseman also tallied one goal and two penalty minutes in eight Calder Cup Playoff matchups. Wallinder played the 2024-25 season with the Griffins, logging 19 points (2-17-19) and 10 penalty minutes in 62 regular-season games before skating in three postseason contests. Selected by the Red Wings in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Wallinder has collected 54 points (7-47-54), a plus-11 rating and 43 penalty minutes in 194 AHL games with the Griffins since 2022-23.
A native of Sollefteå, Sweden, Wallinder played two seasons with Rögle BK in the Swedish Hockey League, compiling 45 points (11-34-45), a plus-eight rating and 16 penalty minutes in 97 games from 2021-23. He also helped Rögle BK win a Champions Hockey League title in 2022. Wallinder made his professional debut with MODO Hockey in Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan, totaling eight points (1-7-8) and 16 penalty minutes in 61 games from 2019-21. Wallinder also logged 31 points (7-24-31) in 43 games with MODO’s under-20 squad and 23 points (6-17-23) in 29 games at the under-18 level. On the international stage, Wallinder earned a bronze medal representing his country at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, recording three assists and a plus-three rating in seven games. He also captured a bronze medal at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, finishing with a plus-one rating in five appearances.
Update: Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Kuehl posted the following Tweet:
The #LGRW signed 23 y/o D William Wallinder to 2 year 875K cap hit deal
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) June 25, 2026
Year 1 850K NHL, 110K minors, 150K guaranteed
Year 2 900K NHL, 750K minors
Rep’d by @4sportshockey https://t.co/yTUtPWgeMj
