Toronto Maple Leafs: Breaking Down Debuts and Projecting Next Season

William Nylander:

– Impressed me a lot as a centremen, something I didn’t think he could fully grasp (I thought he was always going to be a winger).

– As always incredible hands, very highly skilled as a stick handler, was great with the puck last night.

– Showed a really impressive defensive game for a relatively new centremen, he is very very good at stripping the puck from opponents and forcing turnovers.

– Showed incredible patience with the puck. He looked like a 29-year old on the ice with the puck rather than 19, never forcing the puck, but instead making the right play whenever he could. Really looked impressive moving the puck on the Power Play.

– Always tried to make the right play and showed he has a knack for finding the open man.

– Still needs another summer of training to get his body prepared for an NHL season, has to add more weight and strength.

– His creativity and confidence are very high, he was doing things not many players would dare do (protecting the puck while riding the blue line).

– Very good at using his body to hold on to the puck. It was impressive to see how he was able to possess the puck against grown men.

– He was floating a bit throughout the zone, but that was expected for a player of his style who plays a very a defensive game built on forcing turnovers.

Next: Zach Hyman