Wallinder is a great skater, flying with the puck and displaying nice edge work in angling out opponents. He’s a smart two-way defender with good puck skills, but still looks raw at 23. He is not producing much offensively, even though he is getting plenty of ice time and power play opportunities, so I am tempering my expectations for his NHL projections. He is, however, sound defensively, and his elite skating skills will keep him high on the depth chart, earning occasional call-ups until he secures a bottom pairing role in the show. As for fantasy purposes, he is still worth a roster stash thanks to his usage in all situations. He will keep providing steady value in blocks, hits, shots, TOI and +/-.

Despite not progressing much in the point department year-over-year, Wallinder had a successful second season for the Griffins, playing the role of puck retriever and breakout machine. His active stick and defensive positioning also helped him frequently kill opposing rushes and transition the puck back up ice. He put up a modest two goals and 17 assists in 62 games and even saw some valuable time on the power-play, generating six of his points that way. While he will never dazzle you with point production, he does have peripheral stat upside for leagues that count hits and blocks. Detroit has been collecting blueliners with similar traits over the last few years, so while the competition for roster spots is tough, Wallinder has proven himself capable and could challenge for a roster spot in 2025. At worst, he could get a few games during his last year of waiver exemption.

Detroit has made a habit of developing high-level defensive prospects out of the Swedish Hockey League. A year after Mo Seider took home the SHL’s award for Most Points by a Junior (U20), the smooth-skating Wallinder secured the same honour for himself with 19 points in 47 games. He then upped his scoring pace the following year before transitioning to the AHL in 2023-24, where his scoring touch receded somewhat as he adjusted to the North American game. With a game built on effortless mobility, high-end puck handling, and imposing physicality, Wallinder seems a sure bet to make the NHL, but his offensive ceiling at that level remains an open question. Somewhere between 30-40 points with healthy hits and blocks totals in his prime feels about right, but that could take a few more years to come to fruition.

The 2020 second round pick made huge strides this past season in the SHL with Rogle, earning the 2022-23 European Hockey Club’s Young Player of the Year. “William Wallinder had a real good year,” Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said. “He’s developed nicely over in Sweden.” The Red Wings defensive prospect registered seven goals and 19 assists in 50 games, which ranked 13th among defenseman. He was the highest scoring SHL player under the age of 21. Wallinder is a big, puck-moving defenseman – the type most NHL teams crave – but his defensive game is still a work in progress. His average ice time of 21:27 led his team and was tenth overall across the entire league. The Wings organization signed him in March and he ended up getting in one game with their minor league affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

“He’s got a lot of work to do still, but he is a prospect,” Yzerman said. “His skating has really improved, as has his puckhandling and his play. He was in a very good program in Rogle in Sweden. We’ve got Nik Kronwall and Nick Lidstrom close by watching him and working with him to the extent that they can. He’s developed nicely. He’s maturing as a young man as well, so we have optimism for him.”