William Nylander Altelius was born on May 1, 1996, in Calgary, Alberta. The right-shot forward’s father is Michael Nylander, who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League with seven teams. Michael scored 209 goals with 470 assists in 920 regular season games. William’s brother Alex also plays in the NHL and was William’s teammate for five games during the 2024-25 season.
William played in the United States for Team Maryland’s U13 team during the 2008-09 season and scored 25 goals with 26 assists in 28 games. Two seasons later, Nylander was a member of the Chicago Mission 14U team and contributed 34 goals and 27 assists in 29 games. He then moved on to Sweden and joined Sodertalje and played all the way up to the J20 Super Elit team.
Nylander had his best season with Sodertalje in 2012-13 when he tallied 15 goals and 28 assists in 27 games. The 6-foot 200-pound forward joined Modo for the 2013-14 season and registered eight goals and 12 assists during the 2014-15 season.
William Nylander Stats & Salary Cap
The Toronto Maple Leafs Draft William Nylander in the First Round of the 2014 NHL Draft
With the eighth overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs chose Nylander and signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract for the 2014-15 season, where he played 37 games with the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies and collected 14 goals and 18 assists. Nylander also had ten points in the World Junior Championship tournament with Sweden.
William Nylander’s NHL Debut to Today
Nylander made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs on February 29, 2016, in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played 18:41 of ice time and had two shots on goal in 23 shifts. Nylander scored his first NHL goal on March 5 against the Ottawa Senators and registered six goals in his first season.
In 658 regular season games through February 14, 2025, the center has registered 250 goals and 333 assists. Nylander is a two-time all-star and, on January 8, 2024, signed an eight-year, $92 million contract with Toronto. Nylander has 43 points in 54 career postseason games.
Season 4. Episode 25. It's Not a Retool – Bruins Benders Podcast
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