Dower Nilsson is a center who works hard both ways. He is a smart, two-way pivot who contributes all over the ice. In his own zone he helps his defenders and tries to be supportive by moving to empty spaces. He gets the job done and is kind of straight-ahead in his play. He has good positioning and is a solid center in his own zone overall, but sometimes rushes a little bit too much directly at the opposition in the corner instead of protecting areas and passing lines. He likes to be in control of the puck, as he is an effective puck-handler who can transport it through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone to create scoring chances. He often skates really low in his own zone to make it easy for his defenders to find his stick with speed for the outlet, and then up the ice he is good at evaluating the situation and knowing when to play the pass or when to dump the puck instead of losing it by over-handling. He has a great view of both where his opponents and teammates are on the ice. He challenges defenders with speed, though he could work on his acceleration to be more effective and successful in that area. Always brings a good work ethic. On the power play he is a player to count on, making short and unpredictable passes to set up dangerous chances for his teammates. He is quick and active with the puck and wants to make cross-ice plays in the offensive zone. You’d like to see him be more selfish sometimes and shoot more, though, because he seems to have a great one-timer. Strength and power are concerns for him, both in his lower body and upper body. He’s an easy player to knock off the puck, especially since his lack of skating power hinders his separation gear. Overall, Dower Nilsson is a supportive center who is easy to play with and helps make his teammates better.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide