Red Wings Prospect Plays First Games Since Shoulder Surgery

Noah Dower Nilsson is back.

The Red Wings‘ 2023 third round pick, Dower Nilsson played in two preseason games this weekend for Frölunda in the Swedish Hockey League. He spent most of last season sidelined by two separate shoulder injuries that required surgery.

Dower Nilsson’s comeback started off slow Friday against Leksands IF. He didn’t record a point in a 5-3 Frölunda win, evidently getting used to live games after such a long time off. Saturday against Farjestad, Dower Nilsson factored more into the offense. Down 5-2, his blocked shot wound up finding teammate Hannes Hellberg to cut down the deficit in the third period. Frölunda lost 6-3.

[Read More: Noah Dower-Nilsson Undeterred Amid Second Shoulder Rehab]

This season, Dower Nilsson hopes to bounce back from such an injury-riddled campaign as last season. He didn’t start his season until December after the Red Wings recommended both he and his brother Liam Dower Nilsson (a 2021 fifth round Detroit pick) get surgery to repair torn labrums over the 2023 summer. When he came back, Noah Dower Nilsson only played a handful of games before tearing his labrum again, this time on his right shoulder. After trying to rehab the injury and salvage the season, he ended up in surgery yet again back in February.

The stress of such bad injury luck forced him to take a step back and stay patient during his recovery process.

“You get drafted and want to play hockey and show more of me for the team, for the (draft) choice,” Dower Nilsson told The Hockey News back in May. “So it was tough, but the important thing is to be patient and staying in the right mindset.”

In the Red Wings’ system, Dower Nilsson is a long-term prospect with lots of offensive upside. His skating and defensive play needed polishing in his draft year, and last season was pretty much a total wash besides extensive lower body training while his shoulders healed. This season is a big year for Dower Nilsson to show where he is at coming back from his injuries.

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