Observations:

September 2015 – Tom Nilsson was traded to the New York Islanders, along with four other Maple Leafs prospects, for forward Michael Grabner. Brendan Ross

February 2015 – Nilsson has come into the Leaf organization pretty much as advertised. Strong, physical, responsible, risk free and capable, as stable as he is, there is no outstanding feature to his game to vault him forward but he will continue to be a staple in the AHL lineup. He will be held down to grow for the foreseeable future until he is ready to stand up to the stronger opponents. With others that provide the same role in the organization, Nilsson will need to add offensive upside to his game. Jason Banks

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April 2014 – With his Swedish season complete, it was expected that he will join the Toronto Marlies for the playoff run, but it currently looks like he will be in the mix to possibly represent Sweden in the World Hockey Championships. His production was extremely unimpressive with four points in 50 games, he was a very valued defender for the Frolunda program this season his first in as a complete pro. Nilsson is slated to come to North America next season and likely slot into a similar role as Petter Granberg currently occupies, but Nilsson is not as polished as Granberg and will unlikely be a recall candidate for a couple seasons while he matures. Jason Banks

July 2012 – Tom Nilsson is a defensive defenseman who loves to take the body. Although he is not the biggest guy on the ice, he plays a very physical game and looks to shut down opposing teams’ top lines. He has a decent shot from the point, but he mainly focuses on the defensive side of the game. In addition to playing for Team Sweden at the 2011 World Under-18 Hockey Championship, Nilsson has a good chance at making his country’s squad for the 2013 World Junior Hockey Championship. Evan Hotham

Fantasy Outlook: D-

While Nilsson looks to possess good pro upside due to his physicality and defense, he is a project and is mainly a defensive defenseman.

Footage:

Drops a bomb on Latvian forward during WJC play.

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Nilsson sends an opponent cartwheeling in open ice.

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Nilsson finishes a check against Leksand’s Filip Forsberg:

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