William Nylander

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 Carlson. 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. Ranked as a top prospect in the 2014 draft, he was selected 8th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs. 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.

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.

Nylander impressed early, scoring a pre-season goal against the Philadelphia Flyers. Later, at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Nylander finished 5th in tournament scoring, the highest of any player not on Team Canada. Nylander was reassigned to the Toronto Marlies on January 12th 2015, in order to further his development. 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.

Nylander made his NHL debut on February 29th 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 the NHL for the month of October. He had recorded eleven points in nine games, which was good enough for second in league scoring and first among rookie players. After his hot start in October, Nylander struggled in November, scoring only 5 points in 13 games. He had a nine game goalless stretch between October 27 and November 15. Nylander recovered, scoring twice in three games, but then went on another scoreless stretch, not hitting the twine between November 22 and December 22, a span of 13 games. Nylander scored in back to back games to end the drought. After playing consistently with Hyman and Matthews in October, his streaky, inconsistent play caused him to be shuffled through the lineup in November and December. He even found himself on the 4th line on numerous occasions. Eventually Nylander regained his composure and went on to score an impressive 60 points in his rookie year, recording his first career hat trick on February 4th 2017 on Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins and earning the Rookie of the Month award in March 2017. He also broke a Maple Leaf rookie record for most consecutives games with a point by a leaf rookie, with 12. He would finish his stellar rookie season with 61 points, 22 goals and 39 assists, tying him with fellow rookie teammate Mitch Marner and Leaf veteran Nazem Kadri for third in team points.

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. He went on to compete with Team Sweden at the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge where he scored a tournament high eight assists, 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. His family later moved to Sweden when he was 14.

His younger brother, Alexander Nylander, currently plays for the Buffalo Sabres, who selected him eighth overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.