Eric Nilson has potential to be the darling of the second round, if he drops down as far as some project in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. To me, he just has the entire profile of someone that slips down because some scouts want more of a sure thing — and plainly, to keep their jobs so they don’t “miss” on their first-round picks, so they take the hulking defenseman that might top out to be a bottom-pair guy.
He just stinks of a player that fans of teams picking anywhere from 25th to 45th overall are going to be screaming at their screens for them to take and bet on his upside.
Born in Calgary, Alberta thanks to his father and former Panther and Flame, Marcus Nilson, Eric steadily rose up the ranks through the junior leagues over in Sweden until he was finally able to debut in the HockeyAllsvenskan and play against grown men for the first time in his career, for about four games this past season. His scoring has been consistent throughout his junior career and most recently on the dynamic Djursgarden IF team that is home to potential 2026 top prospect Viggo Bjorck, NIlson scored 12 goals and 38 points in 37 games. Not an overwhelming amount of production, but extremely solid.
But, the bet on Nilson is on his potential, of course. And as you will see, he has room to grow in his 6-foot frame considering he is listed at just 154 pounds. If he does that, it will take him farther than where his top-end hockey brain has already taken him.
Pre-draft rankings
#7 by NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters)
#60 by Elite Prospects
#35 by Daily Faceoff
#36 by TSN/Bob McKenzie
Bio
DOB: May 11, 2007
Birthplace: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Position: Center
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 154 lbs
Shoots: Right
Statistics
What’s there to like?
Nilson has a whole lot of strengths to his game that I think are general predictors for being a very good NHL player. It’s not some mind-numbing skill or potential to be a team’s best player — or else we would have been writing this draft board profile about a month ago — but he can lay the foundation of what makes a good scoring chance.
In my mind, from watching Nilson, the typical play that he makes is being able to retrieve possession in his own end, circle around, skate through the neutral zone while avoiding pressure, then being able to stitch together a play on the rush by laying it off to a winger or starting a cycle in the offensive zone, and finally either making the primary pass himself or being able to be that second-to-last pass for the scoring play. He is just a groundwork sort of center and is involved in most plays when he is on the ice, in all three zones.
And because of all this, despite his lack of true size right now, Nilson projects to stick down the middle no matter where he plays. His game doesn’t really work as a winger. He is a pivot of play rather than someone that finishes it.
Nilson just feels like an all-around center that can of course work on some things but is a good player to make a bet on in this range of the draft, if he is available. He will continue to develop playing against grown men at the same age some players will, at best, be playing against college-age players in North America. Even then, those college players are most likely not going to play professional hockey, for money. These players next season that Nilson will face, are professionals, paid euros to play ice hockey and try to not let Nilson’s team score.
Overall, Nilson is just a center that can think at an incredibly high pace and has the work ethic to back it up, and that’s what we love about him. But, there are of course things to work on.
What’s not to like?
The main risk that Nilson’s future NHL team will be taking on is his size. We will see what his weight comes in at the NHL Draft Combine, but no matter what, there will probably have to be a dozen or so more pounds put on by Nilson in the next year, if he wants to continue climbing the ranks.
Nilson’s skating is not as high-end as other centers available (but he makes up for it with his brain) and generally, while watching the young Swedish center play in some games, there is a lack of high-end effort in the defensive end. He will certainly try to squeeze against the boards and get the puck back, but I’ve seen moments of him trying to defend with the opposing team set up in their formation, and him just not able to get to his coverage quick enough. That can also come with adding more power and size to his body, too.
If you really want to nitpick and look at what Nilson needs to do better right now, other than just gain weight, it is that sometimes he wants to play “hero puck”. There are shifts we have seen that have him just go for a skate in the offensive zone instead of laying it off to an available teammate. He’ll skate and stickhandle through and around some opponents for roughly 10 more seconds than he should have. It demonstrates some of his solid skating and individual skill, of course, but it is not the smartest play to do or would help his team win in the long run. That did not happen enough for us to think lower of him, but it was enough to point it out.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
Nilson would provide someone that is much more of a swing than the Flyers currently have in the system, but would be a similar profile in between the ears. With the selections of forwards like Jett Luchanko and Denver Barkey, Nilson would bring the same level of tenacity on the forecheck and the ability to always want to rip possession back from the opponent whether it is on the forecheck or breaking up a pass in the neutral zone.
At center, he would most likely compliment the system extremely well. If we are all assuming that the Flyers are taking one of the more high-end centers available at sixth overall, the combination of Luchanko and Nilson as long-term middle-six centers would give the Flyers’ outlook some hope. Nilson isn’t as great as a skater as Luchanko, but has the same high work ethic on forechecks and ability to transition the puck up the ice. Considering the more offensively gifted wingers the Flyers have in the pool, Nilson would also complement them as the one player that can get the puck to the offensive zone, so that those wingers can do what they need to do.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
It just feels extremely likely, to me. It is almost a guarantee that the Flyers can take him if they wanted to. Maybe not with the 22nd overall pick, but with owning either the 31st or 32nd overall, and then a whole slew of upper-half second-round selections, Nilson will be available somewhere around there and possibly multiple times.
But not even the availability, but it does feel like a Flyers-esque pick if we think of what they have targeted in recent drafts. They want players that can play with a higher pace and can think the game even better than they can play it. Nilson has the right hockey sense that the Flyers might not be able to resist. Especially with a focus at center and if they are going to address the position even more this year, Nilson is the perfect second or third center that they could take with their picks this year.
What scouts are saying
“Nilson is a lean but intelligent center who is one of the smarter forwards in the draft on both sides of the puck. He takes smart routes with and without the puck, finds space in possession, always has his head and eyes up and processes the game at an advanced level.”
–Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
“I adore Nilson so much, but his play and output stagnated a little bit as the season wore on. The last game I saw of his was extremely poor to the point that I have to believe that it was an outlier, but through it all he remains a tremendously efficient player with huge pass volumes and success. Similar to Martin, his off puck metrics are great in almost every discipline. The issues are that I believe he really needs to work on getting better scoring chances on his own with low shot volumes in general and poor shot selection on top of that. Nilson also needs to fill out as he’s gone through a bit of a growth spurt and can be knocked off pucks a little too easily without the quickness and skill to get around forecheckers reliably. He’s physical but it’s hard to project as he is. Djurgården has a ton of young talent and are a threat to be promoted to the SHL but regardless could have an exciting team filled with players like Nilson that could foster good development across the board. He didn’t look out of place in his limited HockeyAllsvenskan time, but physical pressure stopped him from being a consistent difference maker. His intelligence, defensive ability and creativity passing the puck is remarkable and I think there’s a ton of developmental headroom to Nilson that could make him a potential steal down the road.”
—Will Scouch, scouching.ca
“Nilson is a well-rounded player playing a mature game, the ones you always want in your daily basis lineup to have consistency. Versatile and equally effective in both power-play and penalty-kill situations, he’s responsible, and possesses elusive skating with constant movement, circling to find the right place. He isn’t afraid to battle in the tough areas in front of the net, play with the stick, and has a high hockey IQ when it comes to positioning, actions and movement on the ice. Players like him are always well valued because, above all, teams may seek those players who stand out a little bit more in every aspect of the game, and Nilson fits that profile. As happens with many players of his profile, the question is whether he’ll remain a guy who’s just a bit above average in many areas but not a standout in any one of them, or if he can become a player capable of taking on a leading role of the line and be the leading presence during key moments of the game, beyond just being the well-rounded, reliable presence you always have next to you.”
–Iván Ortiz, Smaht Scouting
“When it comes to being an all-around two-way centre, Nilson has many of the required boxes checked. He’s a fluid and quick skater, earning an above-average NHL projection from our staff. He combines his speed and quickness with a very commendable motor and good off-puck reads, leveraging all of these tools to achieve arguably the best defensive results among all draft-eligible skaters at the J20 level this season. He supports his defencemen down low, sticks to his assignments, and suffocates attackers on the backcheck. Given this, it should not come as a surprise that he was also a major contributor on the penalty kill for his teams both in league and international play.”
–Elite Prospect 2025 NHL Draft Guide
Now with all of that done, we add one of the more interesting prospects available in this range: Large Russian winger Daniil Prokhorov, to the poll.
“Daniil Prokhorov plays the game like he’s trying to leave a mark — literally. There is no player as violent and eager to throw huge hits. He sprints at opponents, seeing red the whole time, and looks to level them. His offence comes from fighting, battling off defenders behind the net to work his way around to the netfront.”
-EliteProspects 2025 NHL Draft Guide
