The Grand Rapids Griffins have removed three Detroit Red Wings draft picks from their playoff roster, including Noah Dower Nilsson and Kienan Draper. Jesse Kiiskinen has been reassigned to HPK in Finland's Liiga.
The post Griffins Drop Three Red Wings Picks From Playoff Roster appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
Noah Dower-Nilsson
Three Detroit Red Wings draft picks whoâd been working out with the Grand Rapids Griffins during the AHL Calder Cup playoffs have been dropped from the postseason roster.
The Griffins released forward Noah Dower Nilsson from his PTO and released forward Kienan Draper from his ATO. In addition, the Detroit Red Wings reassigned Jesse Kiiskinen to HPK of Finlandâs Liiga.
Draper is the son of Red Wings assistant GM and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper. He was Detroitâs 187th overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The younger Draper signed a two-year AHL contract with the Griffins that will begin with the 2026-27 season.
Right-winger Draper, 24, just finished a four-year career at the University of Michigan. He played two AHL regular-season games for the Griffins.
âIt was a quick turnaround from Vegas at the Frozen Four to coming here, but itâs been a great experience,â Draper said. âI got to go on the road for that last road trip of the regular season and come and see what that looks like.
âAnd then being around for this home playoff stretch has been unreal, too. Every guyâs been so, so great, all the staff.â
Noah Dower Nilsson was released from his PTO, and Kienan Draper was released from his ATO as part of roster adjustments.
Jesse Kiiskinen was reassigned to HPK in Finland's Liiga after being dropped from the Griffins' playoff roster.
The removal of key players like Dower Nilsson and Draper could impact the Griffins' depth and performance in the Calder Cup playoffs.
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Acquired in a 2024 trade with the Nashville Predators, Kiiskinen came to Grand Rapids following HPKâs elimination from the Finnish playoffs. The 20-year-old right-winger was also experiencing North American pro hockey for the first time. His three-year entry-level deal with the Red Wings begins in the fall.
âOf course, Iâm really excited to be here and see what the game is like,â Kiiskinen said. âAnd of course Iâd like to be ready to play now, but Iâm seeing what the game is gonna be when I head here next year and getting to know the guys.â
Dower Nilsson only recently arrived from Sweden. The 21-year-old center/left-winger was Detroitâs 73rd overall selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
âWe got here on Sunday, so been here for three, four days now, so itâs been good,â Dower Nilsson said. âCome here, like, watch some games and have some good practice, so itâs been good.â
Visa issues slowed Dower Nilssonâs arrival from his homeland.
âYeah, this was the plan to move over as soon as my season ended, but it was some trouble with the visa, so this took a few more weeks to get here,â Dower Nilsson said.
The post Griffins Drop Three Red Wings Picks From Playoff Roster appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.