As far as first impressions go William Nylander performed about as well as one could expect.
The Maple Leafs top prospect dazzled in his first game action in blue and white, speedy and dangerous throughout a 4-2 opening night victory from the club's annual rookie tournament in London. Nylander, picked eighth overall at the 2014 draft, finished with one assist, responsible for a handful of quality scoring opportunities opposite an opposing pool of prospects from the Chicago Blackhawks organization.
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The 18-year-old was noticeable almost every time he touched the ice on this night, his high-end handle and bursts of speed often too much for the Blackhawk rookies to handle.
In the first period alone, Nylander set up linemate Carter Verhaeghe for a quality chance, burst out for a breakaway (he fumbled the attempt), broke up a scoring chance on the penalty kill and then drew a penalty later in that same shift. He offered flashes of speed, vision and creativity with the puck throughout the rest of the evening, crashing into the goal at one point following one particularly close call.
