Alexander Nylander

Alexander Maximiliam Michael Junior Nylander Altelius[1] (born 2 March 1998) is a Canadian-born Swedish ice hockey player who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 8th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[2]

In this article, the surname is Nylander Altelius, not Altelius.
Alexander Nylander
Nylander with the Mississauga Steelheads in 2016
Born (1998-03-02) 2 March 1998
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Chicago Blackhawks
Buffalo Sabres
NHL Draft 8th overall, 2016
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2016–present

Playing career

Major junior

Nylander was selected 12th overall by the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League at the 2015 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. On 5 September 2015, Nylander committed to Steelheads with his father joining as assistant coach. His reasons for joining include being close to his brother William and to have the chance to play the Canadian style of hockey.[3]

In his only season with the Steelheads, Nylander led all rookies in scoring, and was awarded both the Emms Family Award as OHL Rookie of the Year and CHL Rookie of the Year.[4][5]

Leading up to the NHL draft, Nylander was ranked the No. 3 North American skater. He was described as a dynamic offensive player with a great shot and playmaking ability.[6]

Professional

Nylander was selected 8th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2016 NHL Draft. On 15 July 2016, the Sabres signed Nylander to a three-year entry-level contract.[7]

Nylander was called up to the NHL for the first time on 3 April 2017, to play in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[8] Nylander played 14:28 minutes during the 4–2 loss.[8] After playing four games in the NHL he was reassigned back to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

The Sabres assigned Nylander to their AHL affiliate before finalizing their roster for the 2017–18 season.[9] Nylander suffered a lower-body injury in mid-September during the Buffalo Sabres' first prospect game, causing him to miss the rest of the training camp and the beginning of the 2017–18 AHL season.[10][11] He returned to the lineup on 17 November 2017, for a game against the Hartford Wolf Pack.[12] Despite a slow start, Nylander was called up to the NHL on 3 April 2018.[13] He recorded his first career NHL goal on 6 April 2018 in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.[14] After the Sabres failed to qualify for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, Nylander was reassigned to the AHL.[15]

On 9 July 2019, Nylander was traded by the Sabres to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for fellow first-rounder Henri Jokiharju and opted to wear sweater #92 with the club, the same number his father wore.[16]

International play
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
2018 United States
IIHF World U18 Championship
2016 United States

Despite being born in Canada, like his brother, Nylander represents Sweden in international play.

At the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships held in Helsinki, Nylander led the Swedish team in points with four goals and five assists.[17] Team Sweden finished fourth at the tournament.

Nylander was also chosen to represent Sweden at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships.[18] Nylander led Team Sweden to the silver medal in the 2018 World Junior Championships where he had 1 goal and 6 assists in 7 games. He was also awarded Player of the game.

Personal life

Alexander was born in Calgary while his father, Michael, played for the Calgary Flames.[19] He spent the majority of his youth in the United States where his father played for a multitude of NHL teams, and spending the summers in Sweden.[20][21]

His older brother, William plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was also drafted 8th overall, 2 years earlier.[22]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 AIK J20 42 15 25 40 12 2 0 1 1 0
2014–15 AIK Allsv 3 0 0 0 0 4 1 1 2 0
2015–16 Mississauga Steelheads OHL 57 28 47 75 18 6 6 6 12 2
2016–17 Rochester Americans AHL 65 10 18 28 6 — — — — —
2016–17 Buffalo Sabres NHL 4 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2017–18 Rochester Americans AHL 51 8 19 27 10 3 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Buffalo Sabres NHL 3 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
2018–19 Rochester Americans AHL 49 12 19 31 12 — — — — —
2018–19 Buffalo Sabres NHL 12 2 2 4 4 — — — — —
2019–20 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 65 10 16 26 10 8 0 0 0 2
NHL totals 84 13 19 32 14 8 0 0 0 2

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Sweden U17 6 2 5 7 0
2015 Sweden IH18 5 2 4 6 6
2016 Sweden WJC18 7 3 8 11 0
2016 Sweden WJC 4th 7 4 5 9 0
2017 Sweden WJC 4th 7 5 7 12 0
2018 Sweden WJC 7 1 6 7 2
Junior totals 32 14 27 41 8

References
  1. "Alexander Maximiliam Michael Junior Nylander Altelius" (in Swedish). Ratsit.se.
  2. "Sabres Stand Pat at No. 8, Select Alexander Nylander". TWC News. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  3. "Alex Nylander excited to join family in Toronto". Mississauga Steelheads. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  4. "Alexander Nylander named OHL Rookie of the Year – Ontario Hockey League". new.ontariohockeyleague.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  5. "CHL announces 2015–16 Award winners". CHL Network. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  6. "Dubois jumps to top of draft rankings". NHL.com. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  7. "Sabres ink Nylander to entry-level deal". sabres.nhl.com. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  8. LaBarber, Jourdon (3 April 2017). "Slow start costs Sabres in loss to Maple Leafs". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  9. "Sabres assign Nylander to AHL". TSN. 3 October 2017.
  10. Harrington, Mike (3 October 2017). "Sabres Notebook: Griffith cracks final roster at forward". buffalonews.com. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  11. Harrington, Mike (17 October 2017). "Where is Alex Nylander? On the mend". buffalonews.com. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  12. Wozniak, Keith (17 November 2017). "Amerks Game Day Notes: Relying on Depth, Return of Rodrigues and Nylander". letsgoamerks.com. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  13. Moritz, Amy (3 April 2018). "Sabres Notebook: Nylander, Porter recalled from Rochester". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  14. Harrington, Mike (6 April 2018). "Mittelstadt, Nylander net first career goals in wild first period". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  15. Vogl, John (8 April 2018). "With season over, Sabres send eight back to Amerks". Buffalo News. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  16. "Blackhawks acquire Alexander Nylander". Chicago Blackhawks. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  17. "Nylander nets a pair in Sweden's World Juniors opener". Buffalo Sabres. 26 December 2016.
  18. Ryan McKenna (20 December 2017). "Sabres assign Alex Nylander to Sweden's world junior team". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  19. "Ex-NHL player Michael Nylander and sons William and Alex making Ontario hockey a family affair". National Post. 22 October 2015.
  20. "Steelheads select Nylander and Haudum in 2014 CHL Import Draft".
  21. "Canadian-born Nylander honing his craft over in Sweden". Hockey's Future.
  22. "Swedish star Alexander Nylander excited to join dad, brother in Toronto area". NHL.com. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Jack Eichel		 Buffalo Sabres first round draft pick
2016		 Succeeded by
Casey Mittelstadt
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