Alex Nylander reportedly signs professional tryout with Flames

Former Toronto Marlies forward Alex Nylander will reportedly be signing a professional tryout with the Calgary Flames, according to PuckPedia.

The younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander had been in the Leafs’ organization for the past two years. He turned down a couple of NHL deals with other teams in the summer of 2024 to ink a one-year AHL deal with the Marlies. He appeared in five games with the Maple Leafs that year following a slew of injuries, recording zero points, and he finished the season with 44 points in 64 games with the Marlies. He returned to the Maple Leafs organization in 2025-26, inking another one-year contract and helping the Toronto Marlies win the Calder Cup with 53 points in 65 regular season games and seven points in 24 playoff games.

“I think it’s great for sure,” former Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of the Nylander brothers playing together in November. “You know, anytime you can play with your brother and play some shifts with your brother and be on the ice with him, that’s a special thing. Very happy with both of them and their dad, who was a player in the league for a long time.”

It’s been a bit of a rockier NHL journey for the younger Nylander brother, who is now attempting to secure an NHL deal with his sixth team in a decade since being drafted. He has 49 points in 126 games after being selected with the eighth overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft, the same slot William was taken in a year prior.

While the Flames surely won’t be a threat to contend for the playoffs this season, they likely present a far better opportunity for Nylander to carve out an NHL deal and get some ice time than the Maple Leafs would have been able to offer him.