William Nylander Bestowed With Prestigious Honour From the Swedish Ice Hockey Association

While he wasn't honoured by the NHL this season, Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander will not be entering the 2025-26 season empty-handed, after he was awarded with a very prestigious honour from his home country.

After finishing 2nd in the NHL in goals with 45 tallies, Nylander was awarded the Guldpucken - the Golden Puck - by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. The yearly award is handed out to Sweden's best hockey player, which Nylander ran away with after his performance in 2024-25.

Loosely translated from Express Sports, Nylander, who had come close to winning the award in the past, was very appreciative of the honour. In fact, the news of his victory was delivered by his father and former NHLer, Michael Nylander.

No Swedish player has ever led the NHL circuit in goals scored. However for his efforts, Nylander joins a rarified group that only encompasses Mats Sundin and Markus Naslund, who have finished as high as 2nd best league-wide. They achieved those feats in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

Aside from the 45 tallies, Nylander finished the season with 84 points and had also represented his home nation at the 4 Nations Face-Off and at the IIHF World Championships, where they took home the bronze medal.

Previous winners of the Guldpucken include Gustav Forsling in 2024, Erik Karlsson in 2023, Gabriel Landeskog in 2022, and Victor Hedman in 2021.

Look for Nylander to ride this wave into the 2025-26 season as he will be looked upon with more of an offensive burden after Mitch Marner's departure.

With the Olympic Games also playing a motivating factor this year, we could see Nylander surpass the 100-point mark for the first time in his career.