Leafs’ Nylander cracks Sweden roster for upcoming international tourney

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander will be suiting up for a few extra hockey games next season.

On Friday, the NHL announced the first six players for two teams taking part in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

The inaugural members for Sweden and Finland have been named and Nylander has made the cut, joining fellow Swedes Victor Hedman and Mika Zibanejad.

Dags för William Nylander att representera blågult igen 🇸🇪 #4Nations

Representing the blue and yellow, William Nylander joins Sweden to compete in the #4Nations Face-off! 🇸🇪@NHL @MapleLeafs @NHLPA pic.twitter.com/9S3KrPd4yP

— NHL Sverige (@NHLsv) June 28, 2024

With a similar announcement for the United States and Canada expected later today, Sweden and Finland’s first six players are as follows:

Finland’s first six players

G Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators)
D Esa Lindell (Dallas Stars)
D Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars)
F Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers)
F Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche)
F Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes)

Sweden’s first six players

D Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning)
D Erik Karlsson (Pittsburgh Penguins)
D Gustav Forsling (Florida Panthers)
F Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators)
F Mika Zibanejad (New York Rangers)
F William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Nylander, 28, last represented Sweden during the 2016 World Junior Championships, netting one goal in one game.

The winger is coming off a productive season that saw him score 40 goals and 98 points with the Leafs.

The nine-day tournament, set to take place from February 12 to 20, 2025, will be played in Montreal and Boston. It will feature a total of seven games played.

As announced in February by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, each of the four national teams will have 23-man rosters, which must consist of players under NHL contract for the 2024-25 season.

With each team laying the foundation for their respective rosters now, the remaining 17 players will be named at a later date.

You might also like:
• Leafs are looking to acquire multiple defencemen