Top 10 World Junior Performances by Current Toronto Maple Leafs
By Mike Jack
William Nylander (F) – Sweden
William Nylander played in two World Junior Championship tournaments in 2015 and 2016 when he was 18 and 19 years-old.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had selected William Nylander with their 1st round pick (8th overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft mere months prior to his first World Juniors tournament. He had spent the prior season playing professional hockey with MoDo in the SHL.
Nylander took the 2015 tournament by storm scoring three goals and 10 points in seven games. He would lead Sweden in points and would rank fourth in tournament point scoring. He was just one point shy of tying the tournament lead held by Canadians Sam Reinhart, Nic Petan and Connor McDavid.
In 2015, Sweden would make it all the way to the bronze medal game before being defeated by Slovakia 4-2 to finish fourth in the tournament.
After his impressive showing in 2015, fans anticipated an even bigger outing for Nylander in 2016. Unfortunately, he would be knocked out the tournament after scoring a goal in his first and only game getting dealt a blindsided hit to the head at centre ice halfway through the first period.
Nylander was leading the AHL in scoring as a member on the Toronto Marlies at the time. He missed some time but returned to finish the season with 18 goals and 45 points in 38 games.
2016 World Juniors
Alternate Captain
1 Game, 1 Goal
2015 World Juniors
7 Games, 3 Goals, 10 Points