Alex Nylander's ex-coach confirms he can "do some things not everyone can"
Newly signed Toronto Marlies forward Alex Nylander "can certainly do some things not everyone can," according to one of his former coaches.
Alex Nylander has had a few pretty productive seasons in the American Hockey League, bur has, at times, shown himself to be a step or two behind at the NHL level. Most of this, according to his former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach, J.D. Forrest, is due to the player needing to make some improvements to his overall game - something the Maple Leafs development staff hope to help him with.
Following the younger Nylander brother's signing with the Maple Leafs' farm team, the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby revealed some of the info he was able to dig up from Forrest on Nylander.
The skill is there, but by the sounds of things, the defensive details of his game may be lacking, which could be the primary reason why he hasn't stuck in the NHL yet, even after a thrilling finish to his 2023-24 season in Columbus.
-Hornby on the Blue Jackets letting Alex Nylander go to market on July 1st
As far as what the next steps are, with training camp just around the corner, Hornby also revealed what we should expect for Alex over the next few weeks.
Whether or not Alex is able to join big brother Willy with the big club is entirely up to him. If he can take the lessons he learns from the Maple Leafs' development staff and apply them adequately at the AHL level, it may open up an opportunity for him at some point this season.
As his ex-coach had established, Alex Nylander has all the talent in the world, so if he can add a few more layers to his game this season, I see no reason why he won't succeed.
Source: Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun
Alex Nylander joins brother William in Toronto - with the Marlies
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