Nylander's grandma can finally see him play live with Leafs in Sweden

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has been making plenty of headlines for his play this season, leading the team in scoring with 22 points in 15 games and hitting the scoresheet in every Toronto contest so far.

But while his hot pace to the year has set a franchise record for a season-opening point streak, if you ask Nylander, he might be more excited about the chance to play at home.

This week, the Leafs will be taking on the Detroit Red Wings on Friday and the Minnesota Wild on Sunday at Stockholm’s Avicii Arena.

And despite Nylander getting the chance to play in front of a sold-out Scotiabank Arena 41 times a year in Toronto, this weekend is extra special. He’ll have the opportunity to play in front of his Swedish grandmother as an NHL player for the first time since making his debut for the Leafs in February 2016.

“That’ll be special for sure,” Nylander told the media today.

Though he was born in Calgary and travelled around North America during his father Michael’s NHL career, Nylander is a product of the Swedish hockey system through and through. Having played for the Sodertalje, MoDo, and Rogle BK organizations before coming to play pro in Toronto, Nylander has also suited up for Sweden several times at the World Championships and World Junior tournaments.

While Toronto has played previous exhibition games in Europe in the 1990s and early 2000s, it’ll be their first two regular-season games on the continent.

“It’s been a dream to come back here and play. I didn’t think that would happen in my career, to play NHL games in Sweden. So that’s going to be very special,” Nylander added.

Nylander said that he’s expecting to have around 90 to 100 tickets in his name for friends and family in the country. He’s one of five Swedes on the team, along with Timothy Liljegren, Calle Jarnkrok, William Lagesson, and John Klingberg.

Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said that Nylander has been “pretty chill” about the whole experience.

“‘Walk around and take in the sights,’ that was really all Willy had to offer but it already sounds like Willy’s got a full plate while we’re here,” Keefe said.

Toronto’s matchup against Detroit is set for 2 pm ET on Friday, while they’ll be taking on the Minnesota Wild for likely the earliest Leafs game ever, when the puck will drop at 8 am ET.

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