Leafs Top Ten Prospects: #2 - William Nylander

By Alex Hobson

For years and years, the Leafs have been known to draft size over skill when it comes to bringing in prospects. Players such as Tyler Biggs, Brad Ross, and Jamie Devane are all prime examples of this drafting method. However, Leafs management had no idea that they were making a big mistake. None of these players would ever make the NHL, while skilled players taken after them would sometimes almost immediately crack the roster. At the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, everyone expected the Leafs to draft Nick Ritchie, the 6'2, 225lb winger from the Peterborough Petes. They then shocked the crowd and selected small, skilled winger William Nylander from MODO instead. Nobody knew at the time that this would end up being the much better solution.

The son of former NHLer Michael Nylander, William spent his junior career with MODO and Sodertalje SK J20. In the last season of his tenure with Sodertalje, Nylander recorded 43 points in 27 games, and then in his first season with MODO, recorded 7 points in 22 games. However, in his second season, the Calgary, Alberta native would put up 20 points in 21 games, and then transfer to the Toronto Marlies halfway through the season. Often playing with fellow prospect Connor Brown, Nylander went on to record 32 points in 37 games during his tenure with the Marlies. He's been widely compared to Patrick Kane based on his soft hands and pure offensive capability.



POSSIBLE NHL CEILING: FIRST LINE SCORER

This is a bold prediction because realistically, anything can happen with prospects, but if Nylander spends the right amount of time in the AHL developing under head coach Sheldon Keefe, and then moves up to the NHL when ready and improves his game under Mike Babcock, it's entirely possible that he could grow to become a first liner. He'll likely start the season with the Marlies and then see some NHL games near the end of the season.

PROSPECT GRADE: A

Nylander is an offensive machine, and like I said earlier, if he's developed right and not rushed to the NHL like previous prospects have been, then he should become a solid goal scorer in the NHL. This grade seems appropriate for him based on his pure offensive awareness and playmaking ability.

What do you think of Nylander, Leafs fans? Should he be ranked lower or higher, or is #2 right for him? Leave your opinion below.

Thanks for reading.