William Nylander's brother Alex gets new NHL shot with Western Canadian team
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Alex Nylander is heading home. The 28-year-old winger is set to join the Calgary Flames on a professional tryout.
This comes after a Calder Cup-winning season with the Toronto Marlies, per PuckPedia.
It's a homecoming in more ways than one.
Nylander was actually born in Calgary while his father Michael was playing for the Flames back in the late 1990s, so this PTO brings his career full circle.
He spent the past two seasons with the Marlies, and this last one was easily his best.
He put up 24 goals and a career-high 53 points in 65 regular-season games, then added six goals and seven points in 24 playoff games to help Toronto capture the Calder Cup.
A tough NHL road so far
The AHL success just hasn't translated to the NHL yet for Nylander.
In 126 career games with the Sabres, Blackhawks, Penguins, Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs, he's managed only 25 goals and 49 points.
He hasn't appeared in an NHL game since the 2024-25 season, and a knee injury during the 2020 playoff bubble derailed what looked like a promising stretch with Chicago.
A fresh shot with Calgary
The Flames finished last season near the bottom of the Pacific Division, so there's a real opportunity for a winger coming off a 24-goal AHL season to earn a look.
Calgary opens its 2026 pre-season slate against Seattle on September 20, and all eyes will be on whether Nylander can finally carve out a full-time NHL role with the team he was born to cheer for.
For Leafs fans, it also closes a chapter.
The Willy and Alex brother duo in Toronto is officially coming to an end.
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