The Detroit Red Wings did not sign Dower Nilsson to an entry-level contract as of June 1, 2025. He is an unrestricted free agent. He was coming off a bit of a breakout season in Sweden’s second league Allsvenskan, posting 41 points in 52 games. It’s hard to imagine the Red Wings wouldn’t be interested, so he likely wanted to remain in Sweden. His brother, Noah, is still in Detroit’s system, making it possible (or even likely) that if he does choose to try his hand in the NHL, it will be with Detroit.

One of the more interesting and divisive prospects in the draft class, the opinions on Dower-Nilsson vary. He plays a skilled game with a good set of hands that he uses to create space and some creative passing that opens his teammates up for quality chances. He is a decent shooter in his own right as well but it is his ability to send passes to high danger and find the open man through traffic is that attracts many to his game. His defensive game has been very good at times with a good stick and tendency to pickpocket opponents with seemingly no effort, Dower-Nilsson has some very underrated aspects to his game. He isn’t a burner by any means but he is a good skater and uses his deceptive hands to create space. One of the bigger concerns in his game is that he doesn’t penetrate the home plate area enough to be a translatable scorer at the next level so there may have to be a mindset shift if he wants to remain a dual-threat attacker who can help balance out a line and provide a varied attack. His development could very well hinge on whether a team can get him to be a bit more aggressive on his feet in the offensive zone and if he can round out a physical game that shows up at times but doesn’t seem to be there consistently. With the skill and creativity he has as a passer, some team is going to have an interesting prospect on their hands after the first round.