The Swedish Red Wings population has fallen from a huge number (seven) down to the newest estimate of just three. At this point, they're practically an endangered species!
Although there are plenty of Swedish prospects still in Sweden, there’s only one remaining prospect on the Grand Rapids Griffins roster: Noah Dower-Nilsson, brother of former Red Wings prospect Liam.
Whenever a team drafts a player, they hope for a player to develop into a great skater with a wicked shot and effective playmaking. These players are few and far between. The good news is that Red Wings fans should have no fear: the remaining prospect is about as rare as a shiny Pokemon.
Dower-Nilsson might be just the player the Red Wings need
On paper, Noah Dower-Nilsson might seem like just another Swedish prospect.
To some degree, it’s a fair assessment. On the ice, it’s easy to identify Dower-Nilsson; he’s a smooth skater, quick and plays with great edge work -- about as boilerplate for Swedish forwards as it gets. But what sets Dower-Nilsson apart from recent Swedish prospects is quite simple:
He really, really likes to shoot the puck.
While certainly skilled enough to be a playmaker, the Red Wings (and Griffins, for that matter) have plenty of playmakers. Finding a player who has the mechanics for an effective shot and, as just as importantly, has the confidence to use his shot is hard to find.
Dower-Nilsson has strong SHL roots
Another aspect that sets Dower-Nilsson apart from his other Swedish prospects in Wings’ system is that he's already played in a professional league - the SHL - for Frölunda HC. Dower-Nilsson finding regular minutes at such a young age speaks volumes to his character and talents. That said, keep in mind that his stats from the SHL won’t look as eye-catching as players from juniors, college or even other professional leagues who might have a bit more offense.
Dower-Nilsson played in 48 games for Frölunda HC in the 2025-26 season, scoring six times with 10 assists 10 for a total of 16 points. He had 10 penalty minutes and +7 rating. In the playoffs, he saw six games of action with two goals and two assists for a total of four points with just two penalty minutes and an even rating.
It should also be noted that Dower-Nilsson was sidelined with an injury for a substantial amount of time while he played in Sweden, which likely impacted his development and how quickly he made an impact on his SHL team.
So far with Grand Rapids this season, Dower-Nilsson has played in eight games and earned three assists.
Smaller ice will prove beneficial for Dower-Nilsson
While he might take some time to adjust to the North American-style game, that adjustment might wind up proving very beneficial. Dower-Nilsson likes to create offense and has the smarts to benefit from the smaller ice sheet, where almost any play in the offensive zone could be turned into a dangerous scoring chance. Not many players can benefit from this aspect of this style of hockey, but for some players it’s really where their game takes off.
While he’s still searching for his first goal in the AHL, it’s not for a lack of trying on his part.
While I watched the first few games of the season, Dower-Nilsson kept catching and holding my attention. Whether it was his fluid skating, creative plays or his whistling shot, he kept impressing me as a first-year AHL player. My favorite aspect of his play so far is his confidence in his shot. Even though he hasn’t scored, he shot the puck like he’s scored 1,000 times and this will be his 1,001st goal. It’s something that I hope rubs off on other players when he finally dons the Winged Wheel.
Dower-Nilsson can’t get to Hockeytown soon enough. But, the meantime, Griffins fans get to watch another impressive prospect develop.
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