Just two years after leaving his native Sweden, Chicago Blackhawks forward Jacob Nilsson is heading back. Farjestad BK of the SHL has announced that they have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the 26-year-old forward. Nilsson, who signed a one-year extension with Chicago last year, was poised to become a restricted free agent this off-season but has seemingly already made his decision.
Nilsson, who Farjestad accurately calls a “late bloomer” in their press release, played in the junior and minor league levels in Sweden until 2017-18 when his former club, Mora IK, was promoted to the SHL. After just that one lone season, Nilsson’s strong two-way play caught the eye of the Blackhawks and earned him an entry-level contract. However, last season Nilsson appeared in just two games with Chicago and had not played in an NHL game this season.
With that said, Nilsson has been fairly productive in the AHL, recording 22 goals and 53 points over two seasons with the Rockford Ice Hogs. He may not have NHL ability, but Farjestad is excited to bring in the skilled center. He joins fellow Swede and former Blackhawks teammate Victor Ejdsell with his new club and they hope to lead Farjestad to a similar or better result as this season, in which the team finished second in regular seasons standings but lost their shot at a title due to the cancelled postseason.