A Canadian-born exceptional skater and two-way center, Nilson will attend Michigan State beginning 2025-26 after playing through the Swedish juniors system.
Who is Eric Nilson?
Eric Nilson was born on May 11, 2007 in Calgary, Alberta. His father, Marcus, was playing for the Calgary Flames at the time, though he found himself in the KHL by the 2008-09 season before going back to Sweden after that year. Therefore, Nilson, while listed as a Canadian-Swedish player, grew up in Sweden with his family. His younger sister, Alice, is already playing professional women’s hockey at just 15 years old in the Nationella Damhockeyligan, which occupies the same space in Swedish women’s hockey as the HockeyAllsvenskan does for men, after she proved too good for U20 hockey. His uncle, Patrik, played for 10 professional and minor professional seasons between the Allsvenskan, Elitserien, AHL, CHL, and ECHL. Amidst such a solid mix of hockey players, Eric seeks to be the second NHLer in his family after working with Örebro HK and Djurgårdens IF over the last two and a half seasons. Per Alice (in a Swedish article), playing for the Djurgårdens association is a point of pride in the family.
Elite Prospects
Where is Nilson ranked?
All rankings are sourced through Elite Prospects.
- 7th by NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters)
- 18th by The Hockey News — Ferrari
- 23rd by McKeen’s Hockey
- 29th by Dobber Prospects
- 35th by The Hockey news — Kennedy
- 36th by TSN — McKenzie
- 37th by Daily Faceoff, FloHockey — Peters, and TSN — Button
- 43rd by Draft Prospects Hockey
- 44th by Sportsnet — Bukala and Recruit Scouting
- 45th by Smaht Scouting
- 60th by Elite Prospects
- 65th by FCHockey
What Others Say About Nilson?
The Neutral Zone posted this article about Nilson in January, highlighting his 200-foot game, hockey IQ, and center—wing versatility. Offensively, they mark Nilson’s passing and ability to create opportunities for teammates as his greatest skill, in addition to his “tenacity along the boards” that should make him capable of competing in North America. However, they do note a few areas where Nilson needs to improve. First there is his weight, which should take care of itself. Beyond that, they write,
Averaging only 3.6 shot attempts per game and 1.2 grade “A” scoring chances, Nilson needs to become more assertive in driving offense. Developing a more aggressive mindset in the slot and taking more shots in high-danger areas will elevate his scoring impact….Nilson takes 0.76 hard hits per game, a high number considering his current size and the larger European ice surface.
In all, they project Nilson to be an all-situations middle six forward, comparing him to Mikael Backlund for his style of play and hockey IQ. Beyond The Neutral Zone, we also have Matthew Zator’s article for The Hockey Writers. Agreeing with takes that gaining weight should help Nilson play up to his attitude along the boards, Zator points out how well Nilson plays in the international games, writing,
Overall, it appears Nilson has the clutch gene and the innate ability to step up his game in the playoffs and for his country. His game lends itself to those situations, as he’s the exact archetype that always seems to thrive beyond the regular season and on the international stage.
With his heightened performance on big stages, Nilson could be the kind of supporting player the Devils are looking for to go with their core. He could end up filling a third-line center role as Nico Hischier approaches his 30th birthday in four years. Or maybe he will end up at wing, projecting something like the kind of player prime Ondrej Palat was — a big-time playmaker who will step up in the playoffs. Either way, it seems like Nilson follows the archetype of player that will help the team’s offensive drivers in the top six play their game.
A Little Video
I usually start with a prospect shift video, but this time, I looked at Nilson’s highlight package first, which includes a lot of international play. Below, you can see Nilson’s four-point game against Team USA, where he scored a hat trick in a bronze medal game. International highlights then pick up again at 4:48 in the video, and again at 7:30, where it continues for the remainder of the video.
Something I really see in his international play is how well Nilson plays the puck from the goal line and below it, as well as along the wall near the corner. He often looks for the netfront play from those areas, whether he banks the puck off the goaltender or finds a teammate in front of the net. But Nilson makes sure to get in front of the goaltender, too, scoring goals — at times emphatically — and making a good first impression on me. But now, let’s look at what he does at the professional level in one of his Allsvenskan games against Mora IK.
In this game, Nilson plays right wing: a change from what he does in juniors. Nilson stays on his assignment pretty well, and helps get the puck out of the defensive zone. Even at wing, Nilson is going back into his team’s defensive zone and helping them break the puck out. He strides well with the puck off a defensive zone retrieval halfway through his shift, making a smart pass to the wall for the breakout ahead. He keeps churning up the ice, taking the puck below the goal line, where he gets worked into the boards by a couple opponents as his team begins a line change.
In his second shift, Nilson is quick to move a pass from his defenseman quickly up the wall, avoiding a defensive zone turnover under pressure. He then picks up a secondary assist off an offensive zone draw, batting the puck to the blueline for a shot that was deflected in by Hampus Larsson.
Impressively, he continues the theme of great defensive play in his shift a couple minutes later in the game, watching from near the net and anticipating a play developing along the wall, completely sealing Gustav Olhaver, a 6’7” and 236 pound Allskensvan veteran, out of the play behind the net, allowing his team to take possession. In transition, Nilson zips around his opponents on a dump-in play, retrieving the puck and backhanding a shot off the goalie’s pad with traffic building in front. Late in the first period, he again makes a good play by the net by sealing Petter Vesterheim from the crease, preventing Vesterheim from being able to deflect a point shot toward the net. Nilson pursues the puck, chips it in the corner, stick lifts his man, and chips the puck out while taking a hit. In all, I thought Nilson played very well, though his team used his line less and less after Mora tied the game, with Nilson seeing his last shift with seven minutes left in the third period.
Lastly, if you want to see how Nilson did in a J20 Nationell game, click here.
My Thoughts
Currently, the New Jersey Devils are not positioned to pick Nilson if he is picked in line with where he is usually ranked. However, he may not be unattainable if Tom Fitzgerald trades up in the draft. This describes a few of the players profiled so far on All About the Jersey, but it is the truth that the team will need to be aggressive if they want to solve some of their roster issues sooner rather than later.
I am a huge fan of how Nilson plays the game. He held his own against professionals in the game I saw, and he won’t weigh 160 pounds forever. He has the correct mindset to play NHL hockey, and I think he will make an impression in the NCAA this season. In Devils terms, I think he would be a great fit for some players like Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, who make a living scoring around the net, as he creates offense from the wall in a manner similar to Jesper Bratt.
As a future second-generation NHL player, Eric Nilson should have a long career. In the Draft Combine, Nilson graded best among all 2025 NHL Draft-eligible process in “fatigue index” and was tied for the second-best pull-ups count, which is impressive, considering his lighter build at this point. What this translates to in on-ice terms is that you can expect Nilson to churn harder, take hits better, and stay in the play longer than his peers, and the Devils can always use players like that.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of Nilson? Do you think he would be worth trading up for? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.