The Scouting Report:
Noah Dower Nilsson from Stromstad, Sweden, born on April 25th, 2005, is a top prospect eligible for the 2023 NHL entry draft in Nashville. Noah Dower Nilsson is a strong center and learned his skillset from his brother Liam Dower Nilsson. Noah is an intelligent and offensively instinctive forward, and teams need centermen who have these two natural gifts. Listed at 6’0″ and 183 pounds, Noah isn’t the biggest player in the 2023 draft class, but he certainly it all going right for him in his draft year.
Ranked #40 by Inside The Rink
Ranked #17 by NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters)
Ranked #68 by TSN/Craig Button
Ranked #42 by Daily Faceoff
Ranked #30 by Recruit Scouting
Ranked #48 by Draft Prospects Hockey
Ranked #48 by TSN/Bob McKenzie
Conrad Jack of Inside the Rink has Noah Dower Nilsson projected at 90th overall.
I don’t see Noah Dower Nilsson falling far into the draft, but I don’t see him being taken early. Like I’ve said previously, I’ve seen crazier things happen in the history of the NHL draft.
Diving Deeper:
We’ve just barely scratched the surface of Noah Dower Nilsson’s attributes and areas for improvement, let’s take a deeper dive into both of those.
Lethal Shot:
The lethality of Noah Dower Nilsson’s shot is incredible, it stands out as probably one of the best in this draft class. I’ve watched a number of prospects in this draft class so far, but none of them have a shot that compares to Noah Dower Nilsson’s. When you are able to stand out in one specific area in a draft class, that is what makes scouts look at you more. Noah Dower Nilsson has combined this lethal shot with an incredible skill level and a solid play-off of his teammates. This is the bread and butter of what Noah Dower Nilsson does and it earned him a three-game stint with Frolunda HC men’s team in the Sweden Hockey League.
“A really good shot. A really good understanding of how to use his skating ability – the quickness and the speed – to get into the open ice and to get those opportunities. He thinks the game well. He competes hard.”
Craig Button – TSN
Related Story: 2023 NHL Draft – Nashville
Areas for Improvement:
The one massive downside to Noah Dower Nilsson’s game is he doesn’t play physically and his skating is far from great. This will certainly be a critical factor in where Noah is drafted come draft day. He absolutely must develop his skating, whereas his physical presence can be tweaked a bit. Noah must establish his skating to that of a professional hockey player in order to stand out during his crucial developmental years as a young professional hockey player. His skating development will be make or break in his to potentially making the NHL one day. As for his physical presence, I’m not saying that he needs to be the next Ryan Reaves, but he cannot let himself be pushed around on the ice. I watched a few games of Noah Dower Nilsson, and when things started to get a little rougher, he seemed to shy away from sticking up for himself and his teammates.
On-Ice Abilities:
When I’m not being overly critical of Noah Dower Nilsson, I see the potential for a strong forward in the NHL. His potential relies on his development and his development relies on what team drafts him and smooths out the rougher edges of his game. Noah Dower Nilsson has great offensive instincts and a skill level that stands out, his one-on-one play is also a big on-ice ability of his.
Final Thoughts:
If Noah Dower Nilsson develops well and works out his improvement areas, he can and will be without a doubt a great middle-six scorer in the NHL. It may take Noah a few years to get to the NHL level, but I can see him making an impact one day.
Stats via Elite Prospects
Highlights via MyNHLDraft.com
Thank you for sharing, Conrad. It would be quite challenging I imagine for scouts to look at a player now, and what potential there might be with some development. I’m sure any team would jump for a player with the most lethal shot in his draft class. But skating and physical presence are extremely important as well. It will be very fascinating to see how far down and what team chooses Noah Dower Nilsson in the NHL draft.