Alex Nylander revealed how badly William wants a Stanley Cup after winning his own championship

After Alex Nylander secured the Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies, he revealed that his brother William has been watching closely - using it as fuel for 2026-2027.

The Toronto Marlies managed to secure themselves their second Calder Cup in franchise history on Friday night, and it was a night to celebrate no doubt. It felt refreshing seeing a Toronto hockey team not only make it far in the playoffs but win it all through sheer heart, determination (and a bit of luck too).

The team has some serious talent who could make the leap to the NHL next year, but they also have players who are waiting for the chance to show what they can do once again. One of those players is Alex Nylander, as the younger brother of Maple Leafs star William was instrumental in helping Toronto get to the Calder Cup Final.

Alex Nylander admits that brother William was watching the Marlies Calder Cup run intently

He already has a one-up on his brother in terms of winning, and it's something that he can bring up around the dinner table should there be any ribbing from his older brother to quell things. However, Alex admitted that William was watching things closely - and is getting fired up.

After the Marlies secured the victory, their post-game comments came flooding in from the media, with Nylander not only excited to win in Toronto, but he understands what winning in the city would mean to his brother, and admitted that Willy Styles was using it as fuel to fire him up for 2026-27:

Oh yeah ... He wants it so bad. He wants that Cup … I know he can do it.

-

William hasn't really found himself on the success end of the postseason, but it's not like he's been bad. He has 58 points in 67 playoff contests, and that should only improve with the additions of Gavin McKenna and Darren Raddysh once back in contention.

But you have to know he's sitting there watching the Coca-Cola Coliseum explode in celebration and only wonder what that would be like in the confines of Scotiabank Arena. That is a heavy motivator, and we could see an even more dangerous Nylander this upcoming year.

William Nylander was elite last year and could be even better in 2026-27

You couldn't fault Nylander last year for most of Toronto's failures last year.

Was he perfect? No, and he was very lackadaisical at times on defence which needs to be addressed going forward. But this is a player who scored 79 points in 65 games including his fifth straight 30-goal season and was one of the lone bright spots of a dismal season.

He missed 17 games and very well could have been able to reach 85-90 points had he not been injured, and he was also an Olympian - a tournament where he had four points in five games which isn't a bad debut on the biggest international stage.

But now with a chance to play alongside potentially Auston Matthews and Gavin McKenna this year, he could be even better. Nylander is someone who thrives on one on one competition and his ability to break out for stretch passes is well documented.

Now Toronto has a proper distributor in Raddysh, and McKenna is someone who has dynamic vision and the playmaking ability to get the puck to Nylander halfway up the ice. A new power-play will also spark his offensive side and he'll get a lot more chances to score in general - it's a win-win.

This could be the season we see Nylander hit 50 goals and 100 points, which would solidify him as one of the most dangerous players on the ice in the entire world.

William needs to thank both his brother and the Marlies for winning the Calder because it may have just unlocked the most deadly version of Nylander we've ever seen.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
The Darren Raddysh signing fixes a problem Brandon Carlo has been dealing with