William Nylander Wins Major Swedish Award, Shares Emotional Message About What's Next
Photo credit: Aron Broman / BILDBYRÅN
William Nylander was honoured with the Guldpucken; Sweden's top award for recognizing their native hockey players and explained what he wants to accomplish next.
It was quite the season for William Nylander last season, as he was a key reason why the Maple Leafs were able to not only secure the Atlantic Division title, but also nearly make it through to the Conference Finals but fell short to the Florida Panthers.
One of Sweden's top players, Nylander has always seemed to fall short in terms of awards and accomplishments even if he's one of the league's elite goal-scorers, but not this season.
A Milestone That Cements Nylander's Legacy in Sweden
Nylander was bestowed the Guldpucken; Sweden's award for the top player from the country for 2024-25 after a 45-goal season that saw him truly cement himself as one of the NHL's best pure scorers.
Swedish news outlet Expressen reported on the win, and had an interview with Nylander explaining how he feels regarding the honour:
It's a very special feeling. It's maybe a goal you always keep in the back of your mind, trying to be Sweden's best player. I really appreciate being chosen because we have so many great Swedish hockey players.
Nylander got the news from someone who also has a pretty big history with Swedish hockey; his father Michael:
He actually texted me to say I'd won Guldpucken. It's cool. It's nice. It's heavy, the trophy itself. It'll definitely get a spot on a shelf at home.
What Nylander's Comments Reveal About His Future
Nylander, though living in Toronto a majority of the time, still has a deep love and admiration for his home country, and explained that nothing beats coming home to family and friends:
Yeah, 100 percent. This is home. Toronto is home in its own way, too. I love being in both places. I've considered Toronto home for ten years.
The longest I've ever lived anywhere in my life.
But in Stockholm I have all my family and friends, so I love coming back. And of course, I love Stockholm. It's a wonderful city, and it's just nice to be in Sweden.
The longest I've ever lived anywhere in my life.
But in Stockholm I have all my family and friends, so I love coming back. And of course, I love Stockholm. It's a wonderful city, and it's just nice to be in Sweden.
Toronto is indeed home, and while he has the Olympics to focus on for the Tre Kronor this upcoming winter, the Maple Leafs season is top priority, and winning a Stanley Cup remains the goal.
Though he's certainly itching to get a chance to play in February:
I always know what it means to represent Sweden internationally. It's a special feeling to put on that jersey and play alongside the best Swedish players in the world. Just that gets you so pumped.
And I've never played in the Olympics, so that makes it even more special. Milan is a cool city and the whole experience will be a lot of fun. I'm super excited.
And I've never played in the Olympics, so that makes it even more special. Milan is a cool city and the whole experience will be a lot of fun. I'm super excited.
Nylander being so motivated to not only play for the Olympics but be even better this season means only good news for the Maple Leafs.
Expected to be a huge facet of the offense now that Mitch Marner is out of town, he could very well find himself on the top line with Auston Matthews at some point and is going to be looked at to score 50+.
For now though, Nylander deserves to take a break and breathe it all in. He's Sweden's top hockey player for 2024-25, and he might be adding some more accolades to his shelf in only a few short months.
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