from Max Bultman of The Athletic,

Simon Edvinsson has been put on the spot. He is sitting in a conference room at Frölunda’s practice facility, being asked a question about one of his best friends. And that friend is sitting right next to him.

Back in July, when the Red Wings drafted Liam Dower Nilsson, Detroit director of amateur scouting Kris Draper recalled polling members of Sweden’s under-18 team about which player they’d want to bring to the NHL as a teammate. The most common answer: Dower Nilsson, who captained the national team at the tournament.

So, here is Edvinsson. He and Dower Nilsson are giving an interview together, which means when the time comes to talk about each other, there’s a little extra audience. He is being told about Draper’s anecdote when he interjects with a knowing “yeah.” He would know. He was one of them.

“I said Liam too,” Edvinsson said.

“He’s a great guy. You want to play with a great guy. You see a lot of teams have great players, but what builds a team is, like, chemistry. If you’re having this spirit to win every game, that’s (going to) take you (far). Because of course, you need skill — he has skills. Everything that you can have to be a top player, and also a good teammate, and that’s something you really need to have, I think.

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