Tom Willander was one of the prospects to watch last season. 

It wasn't just that he was the 11th overall pick to the Vancouver Canucks, but that he was making a leap unprecedented in recent memory, from Sweden's top junior league straight to the NCAA as an 18-year-old. 

Without any precedent, it was hard to set expectations. Yes, he was a top prospect with a much more assertive, high-pace game than many of his peers, but he was also stepping up in competition with a significantly different style of hockey while moving continents.

What would his game look like? How long would the adjustment take?

Though the adjustment period was by no means short, by season's end, Willander looked like one of the NCAA's elite shutdown defencemen. Though some areas still need work, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about what comes next.