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NHL DRAFT

June 24, 2016

Alexander Nylander

Buffalo, New York

Q. What was your thought when you heard the Buffalo Sabres call your name?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Oh, it was an unbelievable moment, best moment of my life. It's a big dream come true.

Q. We talked yesterday about a rivalry with the Leafs, and now it's going to come true.
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Yes, it is. It's going to be a lot of fun playing against my brother. I've heard the rivalry is really big. It's just going to be fun playing with the Buffalo Sabres one day, too.

Q. What was your reaction when you heard all the boos the Leafs were getting here tonight?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I wasn't thinking about that too much, just was a little bit nervous just thinking about the draft and where I'm going to go.

Q. Did you think when it came to Buffalo, were you thinking they were going to take you?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I had a really good feeling that since I talked to them before that they might pick me. I sort of thought I had a good chance of them picking me.

Q. What went on in your interview to make you feel that way?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Just everything went well with the questions, and they seemed really interested with me, so I just thought that they seemed really interested because of that.

Q. What about Buffalo makes you feel like this would be a good fit for you?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Oh, it's perfect. Got a lot of young players. It's a really good team, and they're trying to build up now, and they're going to be very good for the next year. They have a great organization, and they know what to do with the players. It's just going to be amazing playing for them.

Q. To have your brother in Toronto, is that going to be a nice little rivalry there?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Of course it is. It's going to be so much fun playing against William.

Q. How about the city itself? What have your thoughts been about the city of Buffalo?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Oh, it's great. I was here with the combine. Enjoyed every day of it. Had a couple‑‑ I went sightseeing here, and I love Buffalo. It's a great city.

Q. Tell us about your style of play.
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I think I'm a play maker who is a game breaker, also, and has got very good hockey sense with good vision, able to create plays offensively, and I think I have abilities to make my linemates better.

Q. Going into tonight, have you given much thought as to what that moment would be like when you were celebrating with your family, and did that live up to expectations?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Yes, I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a surreal moment. It was a dream come true, and I don't even have words to describe the feeling how it was to get drafted.

Q. Have you had any moment compared to when you're standing there, the entire crowd just roars like that?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: No, that was the first time, and it was unbelievable just hearing the fans chanting. It was a really big dream come true.

Q. Have you thought about some of the young players here, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, being able to play with guys like that? Have you given that a little bit of thought? I know it's new, but to know you've got some great young players here?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Yes, of course. I was watching the draft when Reinhart got drafted and my brother was there and Eichel, and they're great, phenomenal players. They can find you anywhere on the ice, and it'll be really fun playing with them one day.

Q. Did you play this moment through your head over and over and dream about it, and how did it live up to your expectations?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I don't know, I was just not thinking about it too much, just going day by day, just thinking about where I would end up mostly was what I was thinking about, and I finally got to Buffalo, which was awesome.

Q. Do you feel you're at a place in your career where you can step into the NHL?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Yes, well, I'm trying to work with my strength and try to get bigger for next year, stronger, and of course the goal is to make the NHL next year.

Q. What have you learned from your father growing up and what have you learned from him as an assistant coach?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I learned a lot of things both playing with him as an assistant coach, since he gets to see every game now, and didn't get to see as much when he was playing in the NHL, so he gave me a lot of help this year and the whole team, and it's just been giving me a lot of advice to try to help me to make the NHL one day.

Q. When you were little and hanging around your father, what NHL players did you like hanging around when you were a kid?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Mostly my dad's friends. They were always usually at my house, so usually Backstrom was the guy who was most of the time at our house, so I would say Backstrom.

Q. If the Buffalo‑Toronto rivalry develops into what you think it could be, how do you think that could impact your relationship with William?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: We'll be friends, of course. We're really close to each other. I don't think it would affect anything like that. We'd just enjoy every moment playing against each other.

Q. Who talks more trash?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I don't know. Maybe my brother.

Q. Who has better hair?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Me. I've got the better hair.

Q. Do you remember your dad used to‑‑ the most from Washington?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Yes, of course, yes. Most from Washington, a little bit of New York, too, those moments.

Q. Have you spoken to any of the current members of the Sabres, and if so, what were those discussions like?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I have not talked to anybody, any teammates or any players on the Buffalo Sabres, no, not yet.

Q. Where do you think the Sabres are as far as their rebuild, and how soon do you think they can compete for the Playoffs, and where do you feel you fit in?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I think starting from next year, they've got a really good team heading up. I saw them play a couple times last year since they were in Toronto and my brother was called up. They're looking really good, and they're going to have a really good team for next year.

Q. Have you ever played against your brother?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Only scrimmages and practices in the summer. That's the only times I've played against my brother.

Q. What are those games going to be like?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: It's going to be really competitive, and it's going to be a lot of fun, and hopefully my team wins.

Q. What did your dad say after you were drafted?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: He just said, enjoy it, and he was just very happy that I got drafted.

Q. Talk about your decision to come to play the OHL for the Steelheads?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I thought it was a good decision for me since there was a lot of good players. I heard the league was great, got a little taste of it in the U‑17 world, and just thought it was a good feeling for me to go there, and my brother was there, so that helped, too, and my dad got the job alongside as assistant coach, so I thought it was a perfect fit for me to go to OHL since it's a great league, and you learn a lot as a player and as a person.

Q. A lot of teammates eligible, as you know. What's the interaction been with them today? Has there been much talking back and forth?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I was talking to Buffalo and some other teams, but I think I had the best feeling with Buffalo.

Q. Sorry, I meant teammates‑‑
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I only saw Bas for a couple minutes. He was heading to get some lunch. He's the only one I've talked to today.

Q. What about your brother?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I was with him the whole time today, just relaxing, trying to enjoy every moment here, and just trying to have as much fun as possible.

Q. What was his advice about dealing with today?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Just enjoy every minute. You don't know where you're going to get drafted, so just‑‑ it's not in your control, so just enjoy it, and it's going to be a really fun day.

Q. Are you relieved that it's all over, that this moment has come?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Yeah, it feels really good for it to be over, and I'm really happy I got drafted by the Buffalo Sabres.

Q. Do you think you're coming to the Sabres at a good time because this is a team on the rise but there are still spots on the line that are open that you can compete for?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Yes, of course. I think it will be good for me since I maybe have a little better chance of making the team, which I'm going to try to do everything I can to make the team, of course, and I think I'll have a better chance for that.

Q. Did your brother have anything to say about the reaction the Maple Leafs got every time they were shown on the screen?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: No, he didn't say anything about that. He was just quiet and just focusing on where I was going to go.

Q. Is it going to be nice having a brother at least driving distance?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Of course. It's going to be a very nice‑‑ we grew up together, and we're very close to each other, so it's going to be very fun that he's just an hour and a half away.

Q. When it was four, five, six, seven, was there one of those teams you thought, this might be it?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I had a little bit of feeling maybe one of those teams were going to pick me, but you never know what happens in the draft. I just was anything, just enjoy it.

Q. Any one over the other?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: Maybe Calgary, but I had the best feeling with Buffalo.

Q. Glad that Tim Murray just said your name right away instead of thanking people?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: That was a relief getting called up there, of course. It was a lot of fun. Yeah, it was quick.

Q. Did you live in Rochester when your dad played there?
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: No, we did not. Not that I remember.

Q. (No microphone.)
ALEXANDER NYLANDER: I don't know, I'll have to ask him after this.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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