If the purpose of letting prospect William Nylander develop his skills for one more year in Sweden was to boost the kid’s confidence, well, mission accomplished.
Last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2014 first-round pick scored just one goal in 22 games with MODO in the Swedish Hockey League. This season, the kid has seven goals and 18 points through 18 games.
None better than this end-to-end burner against Djurgårdens. Leafs fans: Try not to let that drool get into your keyboard:
The 18-year-old Nylander will be bringing his skills back to the Air Canada Centre later this month; he’ll suit up for Sweden’s national club for preliminary-round games of the world junior championship.
“When he has [the puck], he can play with skill and speed,” Toronto’s assistant general manager, Kyle Dubas, told reporters Thursday. “Now he’s starting to show better ability to check, get the puck back and go back on offence which is what we want from him when he comes over to North America.”