William Nylander Reveals Why He Chose to Represent Sweden Despite Being Born in Canada
Photo credit: Mark Masters
Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has revealed why he never chose to represent Canada at international events despite being born in Calgary.
Ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off debut on Wednesday night with Canada taking on Sweden at the Bell Centre in Montreal, players from all four teams took turns at the podium on Tuesday following their practices.
When it was Nylander's turn to speak, he, like Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, fielded a variety of questions about playing against his teammates.
However, one question Nylander responded to was regarding the option to represent Canada at international events due to being born in Calgary while his father, Michael Nylander, played for the Calgary Flames.
"You know what? I think from when I was a kid I was just always considering myself Swedish," said Nylander. "So, when I realized I was good enough to compete for the junior national team, I wasn't even thinking about playing for Canada or anything. Although, that was an option too, if you look back at the time."
While playing for Canada was an option, Nylander played most of his minor hockey in Sweden while his dad played on a handful of teams in the US. Although born in Canada, Nylander spend most of his childhood in Sweden, so playing for them internationally made the most sense.
Nylander first made his debut on Sweden's national team during the 2011-12 season, playing for both the U-16 and U17 teams where he registered 11 points in 10 games combined.
Since then, the former first-round pick has represented Sweden 9 more times on the international stage, including 3 World Championships and 2 World Junior Championships, and, health permitting, will certainly be on Sweden's 2026 Olympic roster as well.
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