Blackhawks pick up Nylander from Sabres in exchange for Jokiharju

The Blackhawks announced Tuesday they have acquired forward Alex Nylander from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenseman Henri Jokiharju.

Nylander, 21, recorded 2 goals and 2 assists in 12 games with the Sabres during the 2018-19 season. He also registered a career-high 12 goals and matched a career-high with 19 assists in 49 games with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.

Selected in the first round (8th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Nylander made his NHL debut April 3, 2017, against Toronto. Spanning three seasons with Buffalo, he had 3 goals and 3 assists in 19 games. In 165 career regular-season games with Rochester, Nylander scored 86 points (30G, 56A), while also playing in three Calder Cup playoff games.

A Swedish native, Nylander helped his country to a silver medal at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. He was named as a Top Three Player on Sweden after sharing the team lead with seven points during the tournament. At the 2017 World Juniors, Nylander was named to the tournament's All-Star Team, sharing first among all skaters with 12 points (5G, 7A) in seven games. He had nine points (4G, 5A) in seven games at the 2016 World Junior Championships, while also helping Sweden to a silver medal at the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championship. Nylander's 28 points (10G, 18A) in 21 career U20 World Junior Championship games shares fourth in Team Sweden history.

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Nylander is the son of Michael, who played for the Blackhawks from 1999 to 2002. Alex's uncle, William, just completed his fourth season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Jokiharju made his NHL debut during the 2018-19 season, skating in 38 games and registering 12 assists.