Douglas Nilsson
2025-26 Team: Färjestad BK U18/U20 (U18/U20 Nationell)
Date of Birth: Mar. 28, 2008
Place of Birth: Eskilstuna, Sweden
Ht: 6-foot-4 Wt: 187 pounds
Catches: Left
Position: Goalie
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2026 first-year eligible
Rankings
Douglas Nilsson, a goaltender out of Sweden, plays a refined, strong game. He has impressive spatial awareness in his goal crease and knows how to adjust his positioning to get and maintain control of the net. He’s stable and controlled in his movements, using his hands effectively. His size is an advantage, and he knows how to utilize it effectively, while still showing impressive athleticism.
Related: THW’s 2026 NHL Draft Guide
An area of improvement for Nilsson would be his speed. Where he succeeds in positioning, he falls short with his reaction time, but he is showing improvement. This becomes an issue if he decides to challenge a rush and play further out of his net. In those cases, he is often defeated by speedy skaters. His technical and sharp play style certainly has some appeal to NHL scouts; however, they should know that they will need to continue to develop his reaction time and speed to keep him successful at higher levels of play.
This season, he has been playing with Färjestad BK at both the U18 and U20 levels. In 28 total games, he has a 2.30 goals-against average (GAA), a .915 save percentage (SV%), and a 16-12-0 record. He joined Team Sweden in multiple international junior competitions, including the World Junior A Challenge (WJA-19) and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
In the WJA-19, he played two games, posting a 4.03 GAA and a .906 SV% as his team took home a bronze medal. He had a stellar showing in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, playing five games with a 3.00 GAA and a .932 SV%. He was a large part of the team’s silver medal finish in that competition.
Douglas Nilsson – NHL Draft Projection
It is unclear as of now where Nilsson will land in the NHL Draft. While he is viewed as a top-three international goaltender, he is not yet cracking the top-64 prospect lists. He will likely not be drafted until the third round or later, which is unsurprising for a goaltender. Due to his top status among international goaltenders, a team needing to add a goalie to its pipeline is likely to pick him up.
Quotables
“Douglas Nilsson is an intriguing prospect. At 6-foot-4, he has good size, but unlike some other big goalies who lack quickness, he maintains good movement in the crease and when recovering when he’s out of position. I especially liked his rebound control at the U19 Junior A Challenge, where he almost effortlessly placed several shots perfectly into the corner and out of danger.” – Dayton Reimer, The Hockey Writers
“Nilsson is a technically refined goalie with strong mechanics. His spatial awareness in the crease is excellent, and he makes subtle positional adjustments to maintain good angles and squareness. His stance is stable and controlled, with active, yet composed, hands that remain balanced through movement. While Nilsson isn’t the fastest goalie in his class, he compensates with intelligent positioning.” – Jean Rioux, Draft Prospects Hockey
“It’s not always difficult to win when your team takes full control. But Nilsson had some of the best numbers in the tournament, showing a level of calmness under pressure that you love to say. The 6-foot-4 goaltender has ideal size, but he’s also athletic for his frame, too. I love his footwork and how he deflects pucks to the outside.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
Strengths
- Solid positioning
- Knows when and how to adjust
- Large frame
- Calmness and composure
- Technically sound, refined game
Under Construction (Improvements to Make)
- Speed and quickness
- Needs more playing time
NHL Potential
Nilsson definitely has NHL potential after some development time in the minor leagues. His calmness and composure, especially under pressure, show a maturity beyond his years. His ability to adjust his positioning and play clean, refined games will be huge assets for any NHL team.
However, he needs more playing time to further develop and fine-tune his game before he is ready for the big league. Perhaps another season or two with his junior team and/or an NHL farm team will yield big benefits for Nilsson. The talent is definitely there; it just needs some shaping.
Risk-Reward Analysis
Risk – 4/5, Reward – 3/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Goaltending — 7/10
Awards/Achievements
- 2024 TV-Pucken Silver Medal
- 2024 World U-17 Hockey Challenge Bronze Medal
- 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Silver Medal
- 2025 World Junior A Challenge Bronze Medal
Interviews/Links
- FloHockey- World Junior A Challenge Preview
Douglas Nilsson Stats
Other Draft Profiles
Bjorck, Viggo
Di Iorio, Alessandro
Hemming, Oscar
Klepov, Nikita
Videos
