Red Wings Prospect Puts on a Show With 3 Assists in Swedish League Pre-Season Game

Former Red Wings third-round pick, Noah Dower-Nilsson dishes for three assists in dominant SHL preseason game.

In a commanding preseason performance on Tuesday, Frölunda HC’s promising young winger Noah Dower Nilsson took center stage, setting the tone from the second line right wing alongside ex‑Red Wings prospect Theodor Niederbach at center. 

Detroit fans will remember Dower-Nilsson as he was the teams third round pick in the 2023 draft.

Through two periods of their first exhibition match, Dower Nilsson had already piled up three assists, helping his team steamroll HV71 with a dominant 5-0 win under new head coach Robert Ohlsson’s debut. 

Dower-Nilsson’s breakout isn't a surprise given the offensive pedigree he’s shown throughout his young career. The 20-year-old Swedish winger commanded Frölunda’s J20 squad during the 2022‑23 season in which he led all under‑18 players in scoring with an impressive 54 points (26 goals and 28 assists) through 37 games. 

His stellar junior campaign earned himself a spot at the 2023 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he tallied six points in seven games to help Sweden claim a silver medal. 

The Red Wings organization has history with the Dower-Nilsson family after drafting Noah's brother Liam back in 2021 with their fifth round selection.

Dower Nilsson’s development has been stinted several times with injury setbacks. Following surgery in the summer of 2023, he missed significant time and had a slow return to SHL action. He made a swift comeback following the injury with his first SHL point in December of that year. 

Throughout the 2023‑24 campaign, shoulder issues continued to limited his ice time, yet when healthy, scouts continued to praise his raw offensive skillset.

The hope is that the youngster continues to develop and could turn into another impact player drafted in the later rounds like when they drafted current Detroit depth forward Elmer Soderblom in the sixth round of the 2019 draft.