Vancouver Canucks defenceman Tom Willander appears set to make his NHL debut on Tuesday against the New York Rangers.
Willander was recalled from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks earlier on Tuesday and spent the team’s gameday skate in the third pairing alongside Pierre-Olivier Joseph.
Star defenceman Quinn Hughes did not take part in the gameday skate and will miss a second straight game. Head coach Adam Foote said Hughes is day-to-day and noted the lower-body injury is not related to what the team captain dealt with last year.
Hughes was injured in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. He has one goal and seven points in nine games this season.
Game-day skate lines, pairings Tuesday:
DeBrusk-Pettersson-Garland.
Kane-Reichel-Boeser.
O’Connor-Raty-Sherwood.
Bains-Sasson-Karlsson.
M Pettersson-Hronek.
E Pettersson-Myers.
Joseph-Willander.#Canucks #Rangers
— Ben Kuzma 🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@benkuzma) October 28, 2025
The 20-year-old blueliner was drafted 11th overall by the Canucks in 2023 and has a goal and two points in five games in the AHL.
The 6-foot-1 right-shot defenceman played last season with Boston University, recording two goals and 24 points in 39 games.
Additionally on Tuesday, Canucks defenceman Victor Mancini was placed on injured reserve after leaving Sunday’s 4-3 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers with an undisclosed injury.
Mancini, 23, appeared in five games with the Canucks this season, averaging 10:32 of ice time with a minus-2 rating.
Blueliner Derek Forbort was also placed on long-term injured reserve with an undisclosed injury.
The 6-foot-2 left-shot defenceman only appeared in two games this season and hasn’t played since Oct. 11.
Vancouver enters play Tuesday with a 5-5-0 record, while the Rangers are 3-5-2.
