TORONTO – Now firmly entrenched in the family business, William Nylander never hesitates to give it to his old man.

The biggest piece of ammo the 20-year-old has at the ready when delivering playful chirps? An incredible wrist shot that already far surpasses anything Michael Nylander displayed during a 920-game NHL career.

“I tell him all the time,” William said Friday. “He just laughs; he admits it, though. But he still says he’s got more goals than me. I can’t say too much.”

The official count on that front stands at 209-24, but the Toronto Maple Leafs forward possesses the potential to keep narrowing the gap. He’s started seeing more time on Auston Matthews’ wing in recent weeks and has eight goals over the past 17 games.

That’s put him on pace to score 23 times in his first full NHL season – not far off the career-best 26 Michael Nylander managed with the New York Rangers in 2006-07.

Of course, the son does have the benefit of better stick technology. This week he switched back to a Bauer Vapor model he’s used in the past, and made good use of the whippy 77-flex shaft to beat Michal Neuvirth with a lethal shot in Thursday’s 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

“He gets good downforce on it,” said Matthews. “He definitely uses his strength and, when he shoots, he gets a lot of whip on his stick there. It was an unreal shot, there wasn’t much space there.”

While Nylander had the benefit of growing up around various NHL dressing rooms during his father’s well-travelled career, he didn’t place any extra emphasis on developing his wrist shot as a kid.

The advice he offers to anyone looking to follow in his footsteps is pretty straightforward.

“It’s just practice,” said Nylander. “You’ve just got to go out and shoot pucks during the summer, whenever you have time. Just go shoot pucks. That will help you for sure.”

It’s played a big role in his increasingly productive campaign.

Nylander has already matched a Leafs record by scoring nine times on the power play as a rookie, with almost all of those goals coming on snipes from the right circle. While many teams deploy their shooters on the off-wing in a power-play scheme, coach Mike Babcock has the right-shooting Nylander set up on the right side because of his unique ability to cradle the puck and fire it.

“The way he can receive it across his body and let it go in one motion (stands out),” said Babcock. “He actually, I think, shoots the pass across his body better than he shoots the one-timer. He likes to touch the one-timer and he can really shoot that puck.

NHL Rookie Scoring Leaders Patrik Laine: 32-27-59

Auston Matthews: 31-24-55

Mitch Marner: 16-37-53

William Nylander: 18-29-47

Matthew Tkachuk: 12-31-43

“Willy’s got great edges and a great understanding of the game.”

There’s an argument to be made that he may possess more raw skill than fellow rookies Matthews or Mitch Marner. In addition to the shot, Nylander can dance with the puck and deliver the kind of slick passes his father was once known for.

Where he’s made the biggest leaps in the eyes of his coach this season is his defensive awareness and willingness to engage in puck battles.

That’s significant because it gives Babcock the confidence to play him with Matthews at even strength while knowing that he’ll often be on the ice with the other team’s most skilled and dangerous players.

“The most impressive thing about what Willy’s doing is he’s competing way harder, he’s better without the puck and he’s more competitive each and every night,” said Babcock. “And so he’s becoming a more complete player, which obviously makes us a better team.”

Those close to the Leafs describe Nylander as a real student of the game – the kind of guy who knows the ins and outs of every player around the league.

However, he’s still a bit reluctant to share that side of himself with reporters.

For example, he didn’t really want to get in to specifics about the recent decision to switch between stick models that feature different kick points – joking that his main motivation was simply favouring the look of grey over black.

“The only thing about the model is I just like the feel and the colour, I guess,” he said. “That’s the only difference.”

William and his younger brother Alexander – a Buffalo Sabres prospect currently playing for Rochester in the American Hockey League – both use Bauer sticks. Their dad tried various manufacturers throughout his career.

There isn’t a patented family model, though.

William has his own tailor-made specifications and they’re quite different than what Michael preferred to use.

“My dad had a pretty straight curve,” he said. “Mine’s got a little bit more toe.”

As he likes to remind him – a little more oomph, too.