William Nylander (ice hockey)
| William Nylander | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nylander at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft | |||
| Born |
May 1, 1996 Calgary, AB, CAN | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 189[1] lb (86 kg; 13 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Toronto Maple Leafs Modo Hockey | ||
| National team |
 Sweden | ||
| NHL Draft |
8th overall, 2014 Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 2013–present | ||
William Andrew Michael Junior Nylander Altelius (born May 1, 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.[2]
Playing career
On February 14, 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.[3]
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.[4] Ranked as a top prospect in the 2014 draft, he was selected 8th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs.[2][5] 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.[6]
On August 18, 2014, the Leafs announced they had signed Nylander to a three-year entry-level contract (ELC).[7]
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 January 12, 2015, in order to further his development.[8] Nylander experienced a sensation 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.[9]
Nylander made his NHL debut on February 29, 2016 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored his first goal on March 5, 2016 against Andrew Hammond of the Ottawa Senators. His first NHL goal was assisted by Brooks Laich, who also assisted William's father Michael in his last NHL goal.
International
Despite being born in Canada, on November 12, 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 mainly grew up in the United States while his father played for a multitude of NHL teams, while spending the summers in Sweden.[12][13] His family later moved to Sweden when he 14.
His younger brother is Mississauga Steelheads player Alexander Nylander.
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 | IP | ||||||
| 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
- ↑ "At 0:53 mark". TSN Radio. 2015-04-22.
- 1 2 "Maple Leafs Select William Nylander". Toronto Maple Leafs. 2014-06-27. Retrieved 2015-08-15.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ http://mississaugasteelheads.com/article/steelheads-select-nylander-and-haudum-in-2014-chl-import-draft
- ↑ http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/95039/canadian-born-nylander-honing-his-craft-over-in-sweden/
- ↑ "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
- William Nylander's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
- William Nylander's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frédérik Gauthier |
Toronto Maple Leafs first round draft pick 2014 |
Succeeded by Mitchell Marner |