Willie Nylander

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Our new top prospect!

?I would have not made that pick without talking to the agent or the player,? Theofanous said in a phone interview. ?We have not had any communication with [the Steelheads]. It is not William?s intention to play [major junior] next season. It?s his intention to play for the Maple Leafs. Beyond that I have no comment.?

Several Ontario Hockey League teams contacted the Maple Leafs after the draft to inquire about the possibility of playing junior next year, but Mississauga was not one of them. No teams from the Western Hockey League or the Quebec Major Junior League put in a call to the Leafs about their likely plans for Nylander, believing that he would only play close to Toronto if he played major junior at all. The Leafs let the teams know that Nylander is not under contract with Modo and is free and clear to come to North America. It?s not clear if any of these OHL teams that contacted the Leafs were in touch with Theofanous.

?We went into this with our eyes wide open,? Steelheads GM and coach James Boyd said. ?There?s a very good chance that William plays in the NHL next season. And there?s an option that he plays in the AHL next season. We?re going to honour that. We think he?s the top goal scorer in the world in this year?s [NHL] draft class, a phenomenal talent. If there?s a a slim possibility that he plays major junior next year, that?s a swing for the fences we have to take. We may talk to the Leafs at some point but not right now. We?ll have to see how this plays out.?

I'm sure there's going to be lots of talk about him before October rolls around. #Exciting