William Nylander will not only be taking part in the 4 Nations Face-Off next month, but he'll also be a part of the leadership group. The Toronto Maple Leafs star was named as an alternate captain for Sweden on Thursday.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander spoke about playing for Team Sweden ahead of his team's final home game before the NHL breaks for the 4 Nations Face-Off next month. Nylander was named to the team back in the summer as part of the country's 'first six' players and shared that the team has established a way to communicate.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled to score goals during their recent three-game losing streak, prompting forward William Nylander to voice his frustration after Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Minnes

Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning was named captain of Sweden. The other two assistant captains are Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Mattias Ekholm of the Edmonton Oilers. Finland was the first team in the tournament to name its captain and assistants on Thursday.

Among the NHL teammates who will be on opposite benches during the 4-Nations Face-Off include Toronto Maple Leafs stars Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Matthews, who grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz., will be representing the USA while Nylander will be representing his native Sweden.

Squaring off with nearly identical records entering Wednesday’s contest, the Toronto Maple Leafs were presented with a key opportunity to get out of a rut against a quality Minnesota Wild team, with a four-game road trip on the horizon before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Barring any injuries, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have at least one player on each of the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters next month. Sweden’s lone Leafs representative, William Nylander, is no stranger to the national team program.

It wasn’t until William Nylander, the ‘Breakaway Man,’ went toe-to-toe with fellow Swede and Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson on yet another chance in alone but striking the

John Hynes knows that William Nylander can lead the Maple Leafs out of the little hole they’ve dug for themselves. The Leafs have scored just two goals in losing their past two games, and neither came off the stick of Nylander after the star winger had four goals in the previous three games, all Toronto victories.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning for the third consecutive time this season, winning 5-3 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday night. With the victory, the Leafs have scored five goals in each matchup and outscored their Atlantic Division opponent 15-8 over that stretch.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander, right, celebrates after his winning goal against the New Jersey ...