William Nylander, 2015 WJC
After being drafted eighth overall by the Maple Leafs at the 2014 NHL Draft, Nylander returned to Sweden where he played with MODO of the top-flight Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Through 21 games, he was the team's leading scorer with eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. To nobody's surprise he was named to the Swedish squad for the 2015 World Junior Hockey Championship.
Heading into the tournament, the young Swede had represented his country in multiple tournaments before, and had a reputation for showing up in a big way. At the U-17 tournament, he amassed 10 points in six games, the year before he was drafted (DY-1). At the annual U-18 tournament, he had tallied eight goals and 19 points in 12 games spread out over the previous two years. Suffice to say, he had the history with the national program and was definitely in their good graces. At the 2015 WJC, his proficiency was no different scoring three goals and a team lead of 10 points in seven games. Despite his best efforts, Sweden finished fourth place and did not medal this year.
Nylander's high level of performance at international tournaments has continued to this day. Since turning pro, he has represented Sweden at the World Championships three separate times and produced 15 goals and 37 points through only 21 games. He is set to wear the Tre Kronor this season at the 4 Nations Face-off and will undoubtedly be a participant at the Olympic Games in 2026.
Rasmus Sandin, 2020 WJC
Drafted nearly two years prior at the 2018 NHL Draft, Sandin was beginning to look like a steal at 29th overall. Although he played for the SOO Greyhounds in his draft year, he was technically still a member of his SHL team, Rogle BK.
This allowed him to play for the Toronto Marlies, the AHL-affiliate of the Leafs. His rookie year was a major success that saw the young defender produce over a half-point-per-game rate (28 in 44) and lead all U-19 players in scoring. In the postseason he was even more impressive racking up 10 points in 13 games. His sophomore season 2019-20, he was off to an even better start with 12 points in 19 games with the Marlies.
Entering the 2020 WJC, Sandin was given an alternate captain's "A" on his sweater as he had a proven track record for Sweden in previous international tournaments. He had played in the 2019 WJC scoring four points in five games, he was also named captain at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament. He was set to be relied upon heavily by the Swedish brass, averaging over 20 minutes a game and playing both powerplay and penalty kill, and both sides of the ice.
He was a main driver for the team winning a bronze medal, leading the entire tournament in scoring for defensemen with 10 points in seven games. Sandin was even honored with winning the award for Best Defenseman of the tournament, becoming the first Maple Leafs prospect to win the award since Kenny Jonsson in 1993.