William Nylander named to Sweden’s preliminary Olympic roster

Nylander will be joined by Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin, Adrian Kempe, Lucas Raymond and Gabriel Landeskog. The remainder of Sweden’s roster is expected to be revealed at a later date. Nylander is one of several players who will be competing in the Olympics for the first time, as NHL players will be returning to the competition for the first time since 2014.

During this calendar year, Nylander participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off and the IIHF World Championship as part of Sweden. Nylander appeared in three games at the 4 Nations where he amassed two assists, while adding a goal across three appearances at the World Championships. Nylander is a willing participant any time he’s called to Sweden’s roster and will be the likely focal point of the team’s offence at the Olympics.

At the time of filing, he is also the first player on the Leafs roster to be confirmed to be heading to northern Italy next winter, with six countries still to reveal their preliminary six selections. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner could be named to USA and Canada’s first six, respectively. Matthews captained Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, while Marner is coming off a career-best 102-point campaign.

Nylander is coming off another productive season, where he was one of the team’s best offensive players. He led the Maple Leafs with 45 goals and finished second in team scoring behind Marner with 84 points during the regular season. Nylander also led the Maple Leafs in scoring during the playoffs, recording six goals and 15 points in 13 playoff games.

Nylander is coming off the first year of an eight-year extension worth $11.5 million annually that he signed with the Leafs in January 2024.