By Warren Kozireski
The Buffalo Sabres selected forward Alexander Nylander with the eighth overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft at First Niagara Center in Buffalo. Nylander (6’1”, 178 lbs. played the 2015-16 season with Mississauga of the Ontario Hockey League and led all Mississauga skaters in goals (28), assists (47) and points (75) in his first season with the Steelheads, adding a team-high 12 points (6+6) in six playoff games. The 75-point output, which also led all OHL rookies, earned Nylander both OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year honors.
The son of former NHL forward Michael Nylander, who spent seven games with Rochester in 2010-11, and brother of Toronto Maple Leaf top prospect William thinks of himself as “a playmaker who is a game-breaker also who has really good hockey sense good vision able to create plays offensively and I think I have the ability to make my linemates better.”
The Stockholm, Sweden native also excelled in international competitions in 2015-16, representing Sweden in two different tournaments and posting more than a point per game in both. He led Sweden’s 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship team with nine points (4+5) in seven games and earned a silver medal while leading Sweden with 11 points (3+8) in seven games the 2016 IIHF Under-18 World Championship.
“Skill, speed and the whole package,” General Manager Tim Murray responded when asked why Nylander. “He has a pedigree and he made it clear that this (Buffalo) was a place that he targeted and I think he’s happy with the destination he got.”
Because he was an import player in the OHL last season, he could play in Rochester this fall if he doesn’t make the Sabres Roster. Other options would be Sweden or back to Mississauga.
But the right winger seemed happy.
“It’s (Buffalo) perfect—a lot of young players and they’re a really good team that is trying to build now and it will be amazing playing for them.”
