At long last, Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill has decided to allow his prospect forward Alexander Nylander to play for Team Sweden at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. The tournament will be held in Buffalo from December 26 to January 5.
Botterill won't have to travel around the globe to watch Nylander and other Sabres prospects compete at the prestigious IIHF WJC tourney will be played in Buffalo. Hosting the prestigious WJC tourney has its benefits, such as having the ability to spend quality time to spend with your top prospects in a setting and culture that they have become familiar with. Botterill can run his Sabres day to day while evaluating Nylander, Mittelstadt and his other prospects who will be playing at the WJC event (Marcus Davidsson, Sweden, Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen, Finland, and Vojtech Budik, Czech).
This will be the third consecutive World Junior tourney that Nylander has represented Tre Kronor.
"Snipeshow" as he has been affectionately nicknamed, is a deft play maker who has a nose for the net. Former Sabres GM Tim Murray selected Nylander 8th overall at the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo. Sabres have can't wait to see Nylander skate alongside Jack Eichel on the top line of the Sabres. All good things take time. Sabres fans are also clamoring about a potential head to head match up between Sabres first round draft choices Nylander (2016) and Team USA's Casey Mittelstadt (2017). Both young gun forwards are Buffalo's top organizational propsects. Both youngsters dazzled with their world class offensive skills at the Sabres' rookie development camp in July.
I love this idea. Nylander is a world-class player and he has thrived on the international stage every time he has taken the ice for Sweden.
The Swedes are a stacked team and could legitimately challenge for the WJC gold medal now that they have added Nylander on their roster. Nylander joins star forwards, Marcus Davidsson (Buffalo Sabres), Jesper Boqvist (NJ Devils), Elias Petersson (Vancouver Canucks), Tim Soderlund, Oskar Steen; and defensemen Rasmus Dahlin (the projected first overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft), Tim Lilegren (Maple Leafs), Erik Brannstrom, and Jacob Moverare; Goaltenders Kasper Krog, and Mods Soogard will provide much resistance to the high powered Canadian and American squads.
Nylander has been playing very well in Rochester for the past month after starting the season on IR due to a groin injury that he suffered in the preseason prospects tournament (Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Boston, New Jersey) host by the Sabres in September.
“This is a tremendous chance for Alex to play for his country at the upcoming tournament,… said Sabres GM Jason Botterill. “The World Junior Championship is a prestigious and challenging tournament that we are so excited to be hosting here in Buffalo. This opportunity will provide another important step in Alex’s development.…
Botterill and his assistant GMs Steve Greeley and Randy Sexton are hoping a strong showing at the WJCs will ignoite and inspire Nylander's offensive output.
Nylnder will have home ice advantage playing in front of his bosses and fans from Buffalo, Rochester and Mississauga, where he played junior hockey.Nylander knows the rink and the facilities in Buffalo like the back of his hockey glove. He will be in familiar confines which shoud eliminate any early tourney jitters. While his teammates and competitors are working out the butterflies, Nylander will go zero to 100 mph in seconds flat. No thinking. Just playing with pace, passion and purpose.
Nylander has led Team Sweden in points at each of the last two IIHF World Junior Championships and tied for the tournament lead in 2017 with 12 points (5G,7A) in seven games.
At the 2016 WJC's, Nylander scored 4 goals and 5 assists in seven games played.
The Sabres’ first-round pick (8th overall) at the 2016 NHL Draft, Nylander has totaled 34 points (12G,22A) in 79 games during his first two professional seasons with the Rochester Americans (AHL).
Nylander has scored 2 goals and 4 assists in 14 games played for the Amerks in the past month.
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On Wednesday in suburban Buffalo, Team USA blasted Team Belarus 14-0 in a World Junior tuneup game in Jamestown, NY. Sabres 2017 first rounder scored one goals and added three assists.
Watch the highlights from tonight's win over Belarus as #TeamUSA prepares for the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. #USAWJC 🇺🇸
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) December 21, 2017
Recap → https://t.co/B0QTCV3c2H pic.twitter.com/eEmZzNtJuV
Thanks, USA Hockey
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The Anaheim Ducks want to wish you and yours a Happy Holiday season.
Recently, the Ducks jumped into a recording studio and spit rhymes to fresh holiday beats. The result is a masterpiece.
Ducks veterans Francois Beauchemin, Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler took turns spitting fire on the track.
I like the video. In it, the Ducks players capture the holiday spirit. However, I would LOVE the holiday video if Kevin Bieksa warpped to Ratko Gudas:
"I owe you lunch ever since I put you to sleep with my Superman punch"