PHILADELPHIA -- The Toronto Maple Leafs opted for some young Swedish sizzle in picking William Nylander eighth overall in the NHL draft Friday. Noah Hanifin Hurricanes Jersey . "Hes got high-, high-end skill. He might be the most skilled player in the draft," said Toronto GM Dave Nonis. "Electrifying," he added. "He has NHL speed, NHL hands and an NHL shot right now. Its whether or not the rest of his game can catch up." The son of former NHLer Michael Nylander, William was named best forward at the 2014 Under-18 World Championship after leading all players in assists (10) and points (16) in seven games for Sweden. Nylander, who was born in Calgary but lives in Stockholm, had one goal and six assists in 22 games with Swedens Modo this season. Just five foot nine and 169 pounds, the baby-faced Nylander looks younger than his years. "Hes grown a lot in the last 12 months ... Hes taller, hes thicker," said Nonis. "Theres a lot of work left there to do, for him. "But in terms of foot speed, puck skills, ability to shoot the puck, hes got all those down right now. So right now its going to be about hard work, getting stronger and prepared to play against North American men. Hes already played in the mens league in Sweden, hes not a kid thats been playing junior. Hes been playing in the (Swedish) elite League against some pretty highly skilled and strong players already, which bodes well for us." Nylander is a free agent in Sweden, meaning he is free to come to North America. "Hell definitely have a chance to make our team," said Nonis, while acknowledging it would be a "long shot" for him to crack the Leaf lineup as an 18-year-old. "Hell be given that opportunity and if hes good enough to stick and play and contribute, then we would keep him. And if not, well decide at that point whether its best to keep him over in North America or to have him go back to Sweden and play in the Elite League." Quizzed about being ready for the NHL, Nylander said: "Id say my goal is for next year, but if that doesnt happen, probably Ill go back to Sweden or play in the AHL." Asked to describe his game, Nylander said: "I like to score goals and make plays and work hard on both ends of the ice." Shaving looks like it wont be a problem for a while. Nonis says the young Nylander makes spectacular plays. "Those highlights happen on a regular occurrence," said Nonis. "So I think hell be a very exciting player for our fans. He can move the puck, hes not just a guy who can carry it and snipe it. Hes a good playmaker and at the under-18s, if you look at the points totals he threw up there, they were pretty impressive." Nonis also liked the way the young Swede stood up to the Canadians when the two teams met at the tournament. "I think he was tying to prove a point," he said. Nonis said the Leafs were looking to move down in the draft had two players not been available by their pick. Nylander was one, he did not name the other. Michael Nylander played for seven teams (Hartford, Calgary, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Washington, Boston and the Rangers) during his 920-game, 15-season NHL career. William played briefly with his father last season when he was loaned to Rogle in Swedens second division. Eddie Lack Jersey . -- Dakota Boutin scored 18:36 into the third overtime period to lift the Prince Albert Mintos over the Grenadiers de Chateauguay 4-3 for gold at the Telus Cup mens national midget hockey championship on Sunday. Andrej Sekera Hurricanes Jersey . -- The Washington Redskins have picked up the fifth-year option on linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, keeping him under club control through the 2015 season.MIAMI -- The San Antonio Spurs left Miami last June looking so human, Tim Duncan nearly in tears talking about how close they were to another championship. They dont look human now. They look like a machine. Up 3-1 and shooting the ball at a level never seen in the NBA Finals, the Spurs headed home with a chance to wrap things up on Sunday night in Game 5. The Miami Heat, who were able to deny the Spurs last year, have two days to figure out what can possibly be done to do it again. "Theyre a high-oil machine and they move the ball extremely well," LeBron James said. "They put you in so many difficult positions. If youre not right on time, right on target, theyre going to make you pay for it." The Spurs won by 19 and 21 in the two games in Miami and are shooting 54.2 per cent in the series. The NBA Finals record for a series of any length is 52.7 per cent. No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals, and the Heat were so thoroughly manhandled in Miami that the only reason to think they could be the first is what they did in the past. Duncan said the memory of last seasons loss -- the pain thats driven the Spurs through this entire season -- would "definitely come up" before Sunday. "As I said, we know the calibre team they are, and we have a lot of respect for what theyre able to do," Duncan said. "Theyre able to throw it another gear and theyre going to do just that. They dont want this to be done." Duncan probably meant "done" as in the series. Of course, it could also mean the era. Two off days were sure to be filled by talk of the Heats uncertain future, with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all eligible for free agency. Might such a one-sided beating convince James he had to leave to find a better roster elsewhere? Make him more resolute in his desire to stay and get the Heat back on top? The two-time champions have more urgent concerns now. "Did we expect to come here and lose two the way we did at home? No way," Wade said. "But we also expect to go to San Antonio and put up a better effort and try to come out with another win. Sebastian Aho Jersey. . So well get away from it (Friday), but well still think about what we need to do to try to get another win to keep the series alive." James simply acknowledged the obvious, that the Spurs were the better team, when they swept his Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007 for the last of their four NBA championships. But he wasnt supposed to be on the wrong side of the talent differential once he bolted for Miami, where the Heat would build a Big Three for this decade that would rival what San Antonios did last decade. But the Spurs go so far beyond Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili now. Theres Kawhi Leonard, who followed his career-high, 29-point night in Game 3 with 20 points and 14 rebounds Thursday and has done no worse than battled James to a draw over the last two games. Or Boris Diaw, who wasnt even in the starting lineup until Game 3 and had eight points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Game 4, serving as one of the catalysts for the Spurs mesmerizing ball movement. Individual players get hot all the time. The Spurs are on a team-wide hot streak. "I just think were playing Spurs basketball," Parker said. "Were just moving the ball and were just playing the way weve been playing all season. Wed like to do a good to great, the extra pass, and we preach that, and right now were clicking." It gets a little harder to keep that going when trying for that fourth win, the one the Spurs couldnt quite get last year, when even the real freewheeling teams tend to tighten up a bit. "I mean, every closeout game is very difficult, for all the obvious reasons," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. Especially if James delivers as so often when the Heat faced elimination, from his 45-point game in Boston in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals, to a triple-double against the Spurs in Game 6 last year, followed by 37 points in Game 7. He may need to deliver something similar, or a championship reign could be over sooner than expected. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
