William Nylander (ice hockey)
| William Nylander | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
1 May 1996 Calgary, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Toronto Maple Leafs Modo Hockey | ||
| NHL Draft |
8th overall, 2014 Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 2013–present | ||
William Andrew Michael Junior Nylander Altelius (born 1 May 1996) is a Canadian-born Swedish professional ice hockey player currently for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nylander was selected by the Maple Leafs in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
On 14 February 2013, Nylander made his Allsvenskan debut. Playing alongside his father Michael Nylander with Södertälje SK, he earned an assist in his first professional game on a goal by Robert Carlsson.[1]
Nylander closed out his 2013-14 season with a successful 22 game rookie stint in the SHL where he would play as many as 20 minutes a night.[2] Ranked as a top prospect in the 2014 draft, he was selected 8th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs.[3][4] Nylander was highly praised for his offensive talent and puck moving abilities, however criticisms were drawn to his defensive game and small stature, clocking in at 5 foot 9 inches, and weighing 169 pounds at the draft combine.[5]
Toronto Maple Leafs
After being drafted 8th overall, the Leafs announced they had signed Nylander to a three-year entry-level contract (ELC) on 18 August 2014.[6]
Nylander impressed early, scoring a pre-season goal against the Philadelphia Flyers. Later, at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, Nylander finished 5th in tournament scoring, the highest of any player not on Team Canada. Nylander was reassigned to the Toronto Marlies on 12 January 2015, in order to further his development.[7] Nylander experienced a sensational campaign despite joining the AHL squad mid–season, scoring 32 points in 37 games playing on the right–wing, and was vital in helping the Marlies reach the post–season, who were at the bottom of the standings prior to Nylander joining. Although he left Modo Hockey after 21 games in the 2014–15 SHL season, Nylander was mentioned as a possible candidate for the SHL Rookie of the Year award.[8]
Nylander made his NHL debut on 29 February 2016 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the age of nineteen. He scored his first goal on 5 March 2016 against Andrew Hammond of the Ottawa Senators. His first NHL goal was assisted by Brooks Laich, who also assisted William's father Michael on his last NHL goal.
The next season, Nylander made the Maple Leafs roster full time. He debuted alongside Zach Hyman and Auston Matthews on October 12, 2016 in the season opener against the Ottawa Senators. Nylander quickly found chemistry with his linemates, helping Matthews set an NHL record for most goals scored in a rookie's debut with four by assisting on two of the goals. On 1 November, 2016, Nylander was named Rookie of the Month by NHL for the month of October.[9] He had recorded eleven points in nine games, which was good enough for second in league scoring and first among rookie players.
International play
Despite being born in Canada, on 12 November 2012, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) ruled that the Canadian-born Nylander was eligible to represent Sweden in international play.[10] He went on to compete with Team Sweden at the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge where he scored a tournament high eight assists,[11] leading his team to a gold medal win. In the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships, Nylander was the standout player of the tournament, winning the scoring race with 16 points in 7 games.
Personal
William was born in Calgary while his father, Michael Nylander, played for the Calgary Flames. He spent the majority of his youth in the United States where his father played for a multitude of NHL teams, spending the summers in Sweden.[12][13] His family later moved to Sweden when he was 14.
His younger brother is Buffalo Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander, who was selected eighth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Chicago Mission U16 | MWEHL | 29 | 34 | 27 | 61 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Södertälje SK | J20 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Södertälje SK | Allsv | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Södertälje SK | J20 | 27 | 15 | 28 | 43 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Modo Hockey | SHL | 22 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Rögle BK | Allsv | 18 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Södertälje SK | Allsv | 17 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Modo Hockey | SHL | 21 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 37 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 38 | 18 | 27 | 45 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 22 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 22 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Sweden | WHC17 |  |
6 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2013 | Sweden | WJC18 | 5th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2013 | Sweden | IH18 | 7th | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2014 | Sweden | WJC18 | 4th | 7 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2015 | Sweden | WJC | 4th | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Sweden | WJC | 4th | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 23 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 8 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Awards | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| J20 SuperElit most points by U-18 junior (43) | 2012–13 | [14] |
| World U-17 Hockey Challenge gold medal with Team Sweden | 2013 | [15] |
| AHL All-Star Classic | 2016 | [16] |
References
- ↑ "Former NHLer Michael Nylander and son William team up in Sweden". Sports Illustrated. 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
- ↑ "FIs Mitch Marner or William Nylander the Leafs' best prospect?". Pension Plan Puppets. 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2015-08-15.
- ↑ "Maple Leafs Select William Nylander". Toronto Maple Leafs. 2014-06-27. Retrieved 2015-08-15.
- ↑ "Kasperi Kapanen, William Nylander headline 2014 NHL Central Scouting European rankings". National Hockey League. 2014-04-08. Retrieved 2015-08-15.
- ↑ "Nylander, William". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2015-08-15.
- ↑ Canadian, Press (2014-08-18). "Leafs sign eighth overall pick William Nylander to entry-level contract". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
- ↑ Arthur, Bruce (2015-01-12). "Maple Leafs give William Nylander room to grow: Arthur". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2015-08-15.
- ↑ "Djupdyk i statistiken för kandidaterna till Årets Rookie". Swedish Hockey League. 2015-03-04.
- ↑ "William Nylander named NHL's top rookie in October". NHL.com. November 1, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ "OK to play for Sweden". International Ice Hockey Federation. 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
- ↑ "U17 WHC Most Assists". Elite Prospects.com. 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
- ↑ "Steelheads select Nylander and Haudum in 2014 CHL Import Draft".
- ↑ "Canadian-born Nylander honing his craft over in Sweden". Hockey's Future.
- ↑ "J20 SuperElit (Overall) Most Points by U18 Junior". Elite Prospects.com. 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
- ↑ "Lindblom's Hat Trick leads Sweden to Gold medal game". The World Of Junior Hockey. 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2013-07-08.
- ↑ "Playing Rosters Announced for 2016 Toyota American Hockey League All-Star Classic". Toronto Marlies. 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frédérik Gauthier |
Toronto Maple Leafs first round draft pick 2014 |
Succeeded by Mitchell Marner |