Eric Nilson News: Swede picked in Round 2

Nilson was the 45th overall pick by Anaheim in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.

Scouts were hoping for Nilson to do more offensively this campaign -- he barely averaged a point per game (12 goals and 38 points in 37 regular-season appearances) -- in the Swedish Jr. league. However, he's always earned high marks for his hockey IQ, and the general consensus is that he has more long-term scoring ability than we saw in his draft year. The biggest concern at this point is that Nilson is very light at roughly 6-foot-0 and 155 pounds, which can lead to him getting pushed around by opposing defenders. He needs to add a good 25-30 pounds of muscle to his frame in order to compete at the NHL level. Nilson is committed to Michigan State.