The Detroit Red Wings have gotten a useful early read on Noah Dower Nilsson, and the first impression has been mostly positive. The Swedish forward, who spent time practicing with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins at the end of last season, is now in his first NHL Rookie Tournament and has earned a spot on the top line for the finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Detroit likes the skill package. What it wants to see more of is the kind of consistent bite that turns flashes into something lasting.
“I think he’s extremely skilled,” Griffins coach Dan Watson said. “The one thing we haven’t seen enough out of him is a shot. He can shoot the puck.
“But what I like is he’s a reliable player. He will create offense, and I think for him, it’s just making sure that he keeps that competitive edge, that intensity all the time. That’s going to make him a better player.”
The tournament also came with a couple of empty stalls in the Detroit dressing room. Defenseman Will Murphy and winger Luka Arkko both had spots reserved, but neither was able to get into game action.
“Yeah, both are injured,” Watson said. “They’ve been skating with our skating coach. Yeah, they won’t participate in Tuesday’s game either.”
Murphy, Detroit’s 172nd overall pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft, has been out since Feb. 7 with a lower-body injury. The 6-foot-4, 211-pound defenseman plays for the Cape Breton Eagles in the QMJHL. Arkko, taken 176th in the 2026 draft, is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is skating this season for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
For Nate Danielson and Anton Johansson, the assignment is a little different. Both players are expected to get long looks in the main Red Wings camp, and Watson wants more than talent from them in the rookie finale against Columbus.
He’s looking for leadership.
“They’ve got to be leaders,” Watson said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. They’re thrust into these leadership positions now.
“Even Anton, this is his first prospect tournament, but he’s still looked upon as a guy who knows what we as a staff want, what the organization wants, because he’s been around it.
“So these guys are leaned upon heavily to make sure that the guys know the schedule, that they’re on time for everything. They understand the systems. They understand the structure we want to play with and how we want to play, the sort of mentality side of it.
“And you can already see they’re taking that leadership seriously. And I think it’s good for their growth and their development in those types of roles, besides just putting on weight.”
Watson said the rookie tournament is doing double duty for him. It’s a competition, sure, but it’s also a sorting process for the Grand Rapids roster that will take shape this season.
“I’m in evaluation mode, I will say that for sure,” Watson said. “I’m looking to see what their skill sets are, maybe what roles they can fill.
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Red Wings Rebuild Just Got A Much Clearer Direction
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The contract work appears to be part of that next step, with extensions for Simon Edvinsson and Alex DeBrincat sitting near the top of the agenda. Ilitch also said Yzerman will stay with the organization as long as he wants, while expressing confidence that Detroit can find a new general manager who fits the direction he wants the franchise to take. [Read more 🡒]