William Nylander to represent Sweden at World Championships

As it turns out, we won’t be spending too much time without getting to see more of Bill Ny the Scoring Guy. Just before sunrise in local time, the Svenska Ishockeyförbundet (Swedish Ice Hockey Association) confirmed that Maple Leafs forward William Nylander will represent the team at the IIHF World Championships this month.

This might come as a surprise to some, but it could be reasoned that Nylander has some unfinished business with Tre Kronor. The 20-year-old most recently wore the gold and blue in the 2016 World Junior Hockey Championships but suffered a concussion in the first game that took him out of the tournament and a couple of weeks of play for the Toronto Marlies.

This will mark the fifth consecutive season that Nylander represents the national team at some level, having previously played at the U16, U17, U18, and U20 levels for them from 2011/12 to present. This will be the first time he does so on the Men’s team; given the Leafs’ upward trajectory and league’s reluctance to go to the Olympics next year, it might be his only time for a while.