William and Alex Nylander are pumped to be on the same team for the first time in their NHL careers, when they will suit up together for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, taking on the Utah Hockey Club.
The younger Nylander signed an NHL contract with the team on Friday after joining the organization by signing with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies during the summer. Despite having a strong end to the 2023-24 campaign with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Alex took a risk by first working his way up from the AHL before getting back into the fold to develop his two-way game.
It may have taken several injuries and a suspension but Nylander’s bet paid off and now he will link up with his older brother on the main squad. Suffice to say that Sunday’s game will be an emotional one for the family.
“I was going to try to tell him when he came home, but he already knew already. He was super happy,” Alex Nylander said via The Hockey News’ Nick Barden on Saturday. “My dad was so happy, he got a little emotional and it was just really awesome to see. It was awesome yesterday.”
The older Nylander could not hide his excitement when describing how it felt when he learned that Alex was going to be joining the team.
“It was a very special moment,” William Nylander said, noting he found out while with their dad, Michael. “Words can’t really describe it. This is what every hockey-playing brother pair probably wishes for as kids. It will be amazing tomorrow night”
While tomorrow’s game will make the first time the Nylander brothers will be on the same team in the NHL, it is not the first time in their hockey careers this has occurred. The last time they were on the same team was at the 2016 World Juniors in Helsinki, Finland, representing Sweden.
“I think we scored the first shift together,” he said. “We actually played on the same line. It would’ve been a lot of fun to play the entire tournament together, but things happen for a reason.”
At Saturday’s practice, the two brothers were seen skating on separate lines while also getting reps on their own separate power-play units. While it is a light disappointment for Leafs fans hoping to see the two share a line right off the bat, that doesn’t mean head coach Craig Berube won’t rule out the possibility entirely.
Berube said that he is open-minded to the idea and will see how things shakeout for Alex before pairing him up with William.
“He’s earned it. Injuries happen and guys get an opportunity,” Berube said. “We’re all excited for him and I know his brother is really excited. Willy was scoring a lot of goals today in practice.”
