Spartans Land F From Sweden, NHL Legacy

Nilson comes from the J20 Nationell league, where he scored 12 goals and 26 assists in 37 games played with Djurgårdens IF this past season before posting six goals and seven assists in nine playoff games.

Nilson was part of Sweden's silver medal-winning team in the U-18 World Junior Championships. He scored 10 goals and 16 assists in 29 games.

The Spartan commit is the son of former NHL player Marcus Nilson, who was taken in the first round of the 1996 NHL Draft. He would spend five-plus seasons with the Florida Panthers before playing three-plus seasons with the Calgary Flames.

Marcus logged 67 goals and 101 assists in 521 games.

Eric joins several newcomers who will be playing for Michigan State this fall. The most recent had been transfer defenseman Travis Shoudy from Ferris State, who, of course, is the brother of Spartan forward Tiernan Shoudy.

The blue line was an area the staff has emphasized this offseason, considering the losses of David Gucciardi and Nicklas Andrews. The program also landed two transfers in Colin Ralph, a defenseman from St. Cloud State, and Cole Ward, a defenseman from the junior level.

Michigan State rebounded and has admirably replenished its blue line. And the addition of Eric could prove to be quite a signifcant one down the line.

The Spartans will be looking to take the Big Ten crown for the third straight year. But the expectations will be much higher, as the Green and White have a squad that is capable of winning an NCAA title, given the returns of Hobey Baker winner Isaac Howard and goaltender Trey Augustine, one of the nation's best in net.

Despite a stunning loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, the outlook on Michigan State hockey is as high as ever.

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