Yes Yes Y’all!! I’m back in the saddle again…The Electric Cowboy, Kosmic Burrito himself. It’s been a minute, I had a short little hiatus, but that’s expected when your boss pays you in hallucinogens! Spiritual journey is an understatement, we’ll leave it at that haha..
Alright, so let’s get diggy-down to business ladies and jiggy-gents. I’m going to break down the Top 10 NHL Draft Prospects of 2016, in a series of posts. So, without further ado…I give you the #10 prospect:
Alexander Nylander
Mississauga Steelheads
6’0” 176lbs
57GP 28G 47A 75PTS 18PIM 8+/-
Alexander Nylander is a 6’ 0” 176lb skilled forward that is currently playing for OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads. Nylander is actually on loan from Rogle BK of the Hockey Allsvenskan (2nd tier of hockey in Sweden). As most of you know, Nylander is the son of former NHL’er Michael Nylander, and he is also the brother to William Nylander, who is currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Although Alexander has represented Sweden on numerous occasions, he was actually born in Calgary while his father Michael was a member of the Flames. Speaking of the whole father-son connection, daddy also happens too be an Assistant Coach for Mississauga. With his big brother in neighbouring Toronto, and his Dad behind the bench, it’s definitely a family affair for the Nylander’s. Alexander is a highly skilled, offensive forward, who flourishes in the opposition’s end of the rink.
Nylander has excellent vision, sick hands and a knack for finding seams in the offensive zone. – THN’s Ryan Kennedy (source)
Nylander should be considered one of the draft’s best goal scorers, but his ability to thread the needle and play selfless hockey makes him one of the few two-pronged threats available for 2016. – Steve Kournianos (source)
Alexander is a dynamic skating offensive catalyst that just produces points. His skating can go from effortless to shifty as he has the ability to use his edges to deke or juke through traffic with ease. Possesses soft hands and very creative puck skills plus the ability to make his teammates better with some jaw dropping passes. He is not a one trick pony however as he can also finish off plays. Top line NHL potential. – futureconsiderations.ca (source)
NHL Comparable(s): His brother William Nylander, Jonathan Drouin, Johnny Gaudreau.
Why would this player be on the Edmonton Oilers Draft List? I’m not 100% sure that Alexander would even be considered by the Oilers to be honest. Maybe only for the sake of being used in a trade, as the Oilers are already rich in small-ish, skilled forwards.
BLH’s comment – IF the Oilers traded down and lost out on the big three defencemen (Chychrun, Juolevi, and Sergachev), adding some high end talent to their system wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world as it lacks even a lick of elite scoring and playmaking. These Nylander boys are very different from the little skillers the Oilers have now.
Stay tuned folks, as I break down the top ten draft prospects and introduce them to the BLH Universe.
Until next time, stay trippy my friends…
