STOCKHOLM — William Nylander sure looks comfy at home.
Dressed in a loose designer T-shirt and backward ballcap, the Swedish superstar is comfortable at the centre of a circus.
The Maple Leafs’ charter touched down in Stockholm Tuesday after a red-eye flight from Toronto, and the team barely had time to check into its downtown hotel before grabbing a quick lunch and hustling to practice at the Olympic-sized sheet at Hovet Arena.
Nylander’s father, former NHLer Michael, hangs around the glass, taking in the scene. A bundle of right-curved weapons emblazoned with “WILLY STYLES” on the shaft is gathered for giveaways and gifts. And the hottest player on the Leafs estimates he has secured 90 to 100 tickets, taking care of family and friends for this weekend’s two-game stint at Avicii Arena.
Of all the Swedes participating in the NHL’s four-team, four-game Global Series event, none is a bigger star than Nylander, who will walk the red carpet at Tuesday evening’s premiere of the six-episode Börje series and is booked for autograph signings in Old Town.
“It’s been a dream to come back here and play. I didn’t think that would happen in my career, to play NHL games in Sweden. So that’s going to be very special,” Nylander says.
“It’s great for team-building to get out here. And we’ll do some things together while we’re here, so I think that will be very good for the team.”
Good for the Leafs. Great for the Nylander brand — a rising stock, considering the dynamic winger’s 15-game point streak and sizzling highlight reel to begin a critical contract campaign. (Is $11 million the new $10 million?)
Nylander is especially happy that his grandmother will finally be able to catch one of his NHL games live.
“That’ll be special, for sure,” he says.
How old is Granny Styles?
“Oh, I don’t know,” Nylander says, smiling. “Old.”
Yes, the Maple Leafs’ two-game tour of this archipelago city that dates to the 1200s (pre-Grandma) has taken on a lighthearted vibe, thanks to back-to-back, pressure-alleviating weekend wins over Calgary and Vancouver.
The road trip is a celebration of Swedes present (Nylander, Calle Järnkrok, John Klingberg, William Lagesson, Timothy Liljegren) and past (Borje Salming, Mats Sundin). It’s also a unique chance for Swedish kids to catch a glimpse of NHL stars in real time.
“Oh, great impact,” says Victor Hedman, the Swedish Lightning star who participated in the 2019 Global Series here. “I just put myself in my shoes, when I was a kid, to get to see some of the best players in the world, playing in primetime, seven o’clock. Over here, it’s [usually] 1 a.m. games, so it’s a bit tough to catch games live. So, to go see them live and have the opportunity is something that really is going to help.
“Hockey’s already pretty big in Sweden, obviously. But it’s just going to help hopefully expand the NHL even more. Gives the guys a chance to see Sweden, too, and have a good time.”
No one worries about Nylander enjoying himself.
“Yeah, he’s gonna be fine. He loves it. I think he does [like the spotlight], for sure. He’s kind of quiet like that, but he embraces it in a really cool way, which is his own way. So, he’ll be fine,” Klingberg says, with a winking smile.
“He sells the game, too. You look at basketball players and football players and all that, the way they are as personalities, and how they dress and stuff like that. He gives some spotlight, and I think that’s something hockey can obviously take after as well. It’s different from soccer or basketball or whatever. I think with the style that these guys rep, it’s a good thing. Sells the game.”
Klingberg notes that it’s not only the homegrown talent attracting Swedes to the Maple Leafs, reminding that it’s “a big thing” for European kids to catch the magic of Mitch Marner and the scoring of Auston Matthews in-person.
That’s in addition to Nylander, whom Klingberg lumps in the top three Swedish hockey stars of the moment, alongside Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson and Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson.
“The time difference makes it hard to watch the NHL, but everyone’s playing the video games. Everyone sees what [Nylander] is doing,” Klingberg says. “And he’s a poster boy, too. So, it’s going to be cool for a lot of kids to see him up close.”
Adds Maple Leafs captain John Tavares: “He’s gonna get a lot of love. Rightfully so.”
Last time Tavares was in Sweden, he was here for a minor hockey tournament. No chance he was dining at Nylander-approved restaurants or shopping at Nylander-approved outlets.
“We just went to McDonald’s every day. The only thing in town. I can’t remember what town it was, either. So, a little naive to really truly appreciate it,” Tavares says, chuckling. “This is pretty rare and unique. I’ve never really done the Global Series and played games overseas. So, looking to embrace them, enjoy it. Obviously, a great hockey country and strong ties to the organization here — current players, former players — so I think it should be a lot of fun.
“I just expect some good places to eat, some good Swedish food.”
Tavares scoffs at the notion that jetlag will affect performance, noting that Toronto’s first North American road trip consisted of five games in five cities with two time-zone changes over 12 days. In Stockholm, the players can hunker down in one hotel for two games and have four nights for their body clocks to acclimatize.
To that end, the Leafs’ sleep experts suggested the players hit the ice Tuesday and stay awake in lieu of napping.
“A couple hours of sleep, right out on the ice,” Järnkrok says.
Some Leafs slept less than two hours on the charter.
“Whether it’s a good or bad thing, I don’t know,” says coach Sheldon Keefe, having overseen what can only be described as a mellow first practice overseas.
“It’s hard to focus on anything today, quite honestly.”
Keefe, like many in the organization, has never been to this part of the world. He’s excited to check out the city, hopeful to gather some points against the Red Wings and Wild, and is leaning on the locals for dining and tourism tips.
“Willy’s the guy I talked to the most about it. As you can imagine, Willy’s pretty chill. He said: ‘Walk around and take in the sights.’ That’s really all that he had to offer,” Keefe says, smiling.
“Sounds like Will himself has got a pretty full plate while we’re here. So, knowing Will, he likes to keep the focus on the hockey. He’ll get his obligations out of the way and all that, and I know all our Swedish guys especially would be excited to play on the weekend.”
Just as the Swedish fans will be thrilled to get a glimpse of their stylish hero.
One-Timers: David Kämpf returned to practise Tuesday. His face is still noticeably cut and swollen, Keefe notes sarcastically, “from the clean hit to the head that he took” from Vancouver’s Dakota Joshua Saturday. … Martin Jones made the journey overseas as the club’s emergency third goaltender. … Conor Timmins (LTIR) has shed the no-contact sweater and was again a full participant in practice. Rocking an impressive Movember ‘stache, Timmins is ahead of schedule in his recovery and is a possibility to play Friday. … Klingberg skipped practice Monday and Tuesday in the name of maintenance. He’s expected to skate Wednesday. … Bet on Joseph Woll and Ilya Samsonov splitting starts in Stockholm.