William Nylander is in Sweden now (or likely in the air by now to Cologne), gearing up for the World Championships which start on Friday.  Team Sweden had a meeting, and it was the newest member of the team that all the press wanted to talk to.  And photograph.

Here’s just one report, and one picture to give you an idea about what the fuss was about.

Okay, it’s likely that the fuss was really about that fact that after Victor Hedman, he’s the highest scoring NHL player on Tre Kronor this year.

He isn’t letting that go to his head though.  He’s a rookie, and he’s good at being a rookie. It’s really the thing he has the most experience at.

But the first-time player does not step into the Tre Kronor squad and expect to be the big star.

“I went and introduced myself to everyone. You do not know so many. I just go and visit and chat,” says Nylander.  Expressen

He talked about his rookie year in Toronto with Hockey Sverige:

“It was a fun, important season for us as a team, but I think it was good for us to get to the playoffs and do well there,” said William Nylander to hockeysverige.se when we met him for an interview an hour before Tre Kronor’s flight to Cologne and the World Championships.

Aftonbladet wanted to know about Michael Nylander’s influence on him as he follows in his father’s footsteps.

If William Nylander takes after his father, a World Championship appearance is no surprise. Michael Nylander played, in his career, seven World Championships for Sweden.

“We have not talked as much about the World Championships yet, it was mostly focused on getting ready, so that I could go.”

“But he was trying to check out the games, and he gives some advice as soon as he can. He is an important person to have alongside as you can talk to him about everything.”

He was also asked for a bit of a scouting report on the Swedish team by Expressen:

Who is most difficult to face of your teammates on Tre Kronor?

Gabriel Landeskog is difficult to face. Strong. I have not played everyone, some play in the KHL. But Victor Hedman is up there too.

No one is saying where he will draw in in the lineup. The Swedes play against Russia in their first game on Friday, so they are hesitating to give their biggest rivals in their group a scouting report.  The assistant coach, Johan Garpenlöv says in the Aftonbladet video that Nylander is a creative player who is good on the power play, which is not news.

Until there is news, we’ll have to content ourselves with the new look.

IIHF World Championships