The Buffalo Sabres don’t have much to play for right now, but they’ll use this time to evaluate at least one of their top prospects.
On Monday morning, the team announced that they have recalled 2016 first-round draft pick Alex Nylander from the Rochester Americans.
Nylander was selected eighth overall by Buffalo last summer after he scored 28 goals and 75 points in 57 games with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads.
This season, the 19-year-old has put up a modest nine goals and 27 points in 62 AHL games.
There will be some added intrigue surrounding his NHL debut because tonight’s opponent is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who happen to have Alex’s brother, William, on their roster.
“I talk to him almost like every day,” William told the Buffalo News on Saturday. “He’s learning. It’s a little different league. It takes time to get going. He’s been going a little up and down, and hopefully he can finish the season off well.”
Alex Nylander, with No. 70 on his helmet, on the ice for the Sabres. pic.twitter.com/abdOsW9fUD
— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) April 3, 2017