Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has been named Sweden’s top hockey player of the year.
The annual honor, named the Goldpucken, is given to the hockey player of the year from Sweden. The tradition began in 1956, and the country opened the award to Swedish NHL players in 2015.
William’s father, Michael, who played in the NHL for parts of 15 seasons, revealed to William that he had won the 2025 Goldpucken. It’s the first time a player on the Maple Leafs has won the award. Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling won it last year after winning the Stanley Cup.
Nylander’s coming off his best goalscoring season to date. The 29-year-old had 45 goals in 82 games in 2024-25, finishing atop the Maple Leafs and only trailing Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who scored 52 goals, for the most in the league.
Fellow Swede Jesper Bratt, a forward on the New Jersey Devils, was Nylander’s only countryman to finish higher than him in points last season. The 27-year-old tallied 88 points (21 goals and 67 assists) in 81 games.
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In an interview with Expressen’s Adam Johansson, Nylander said it was special to win the Goldpucken, adding that while he doesn’t talk about it, winning the trophy was always in the back of his mind. Nylander also credited his Toronto teammates for helping him achieve the honor.
Although he was born in Calgary, Alberta, Nylander has always dubbed Sweden home. He’s represented them on the international stage numerous times, including at the 4 Nations Face-Off and World Championships earlier this spring, after going out in the second round of the NHL playoffs to the Panthers.
He's also already one of the six players named to Team Sweden's 2026 Winter Olympics roster.
Nylander won gold with his home country at the 2017 World Championships, where he was also named the tournament’s MVP. While speaking with Johansson this week, the forward said winning gold with Sweden, winning the Gold Puck this year, and playing in his home country with the Maple Leafs during the NHL’s Global Series in 2023 are the highlights of his career thus far.
Since being selected eighth overall by Toronto in the 2014 NHL Draft, Nylander has scored 612 points (262 goals and 350 assists) in 685 NHL games. He’s also put up 26 goals and 32 assists in 67 playoff games with the Maple Leafs.
Nylander is entering the second season of an eight-year, $92 million contract, which he signed with Toronto in January 2024. The annual average value of the deal is $11.5 million, making him the second-highest paid Swede in the NHL behind Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson, who’s set to make $11.6 million starting next season.
This article originally appeared on The Hockey News: William Nylander's Father, Michael, Surprises Maple Leafs' Forward With Sweden's Top Hockey Honor
(Top photo of Nylander: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)
