Prospect Update: Thimo Nickl

By Thomas Harrington

A fourth round pick from 2020, defenseman Thimo Nickl played for AIK in the HockeyAllsvenskan this past season and is expected to return there this coming season.

After playing across three different leagues in the 2020-2021 season because of COVID-19, it was nice to see Nickl play primarily for just one team in one league this past year. He skated in 38 games and scored two goals and 10 points. He missed some time early in the season when he was suspended for a few games and missed some time late in the season with injury. Nickl also played in three games for Austria internationally, recording no points.

I had two expectations, one of which he met, and one hope for Nickl last summer. The hope was that he wouldn’t be playing for so many different teams and leagues this year, which thankfully happened. My first expectation was for him to play in more than the combined 27 games he got last year. By playing in 38 games he certainly met that expectation. Unfortunately, I was also expecting him to get some playing time in the SHL after playing 15 games there last season. He didn’t play in any SHL games and missed on this expectation.

This year, Nickl will be back with AIK, and may get some games with the SHL as well. This very well could be his final season in Europe, and if he can spend a lot of time in the SHL, then that seems even more likely. I have a couple of expectations for him. First, to play some games in the SHL this year. He doesn’t need to spend a ton of time in that league, but I want him to get some time in one of the best hockey leagues in the world. Second, when he’s playing AIK, to be one of their better defenders and put up a few more points. He played well for them last season but I’d like to see more out of him this season. Finally, I want him to play in more than 40 games between the HockeyAllsvenskan and SHL.

Nickl is still pretty far out from making his NHL debut. He’s got at least one more season in Europe, and maybe more. If the Ducks do bring him stateside in a year or two, he’s definitely going to spend some time in the AHL with the Gulls first. So I think he’s at least three or four years away from making his way to Anaheim, if not more. Once we get into the fourth round the odds of a player making it to the NHL drop quite a bit. Hopefully Nickl will be able to beat the odds and find himself a home with the Ducks in the years to come.

Nickl is currently unsigned, and per capfriendly, Anaheim has control of his rights for another two years. If he progresses over the next two years, I expect Anaheim to sign him to an entry-level contract. However, if they feel like his game has not grown as much as they hope, they could instead choose to not offer him a contract and let him pursue his NHL career elsewhere.

The next prospect update will be on Trevor Janicke.

Related Articles:

Prospect Update: Maxim Golod

Prospect Update: Tyson Hinds

Prospect Update: Ian Moore

Prospect Update: Jack Perbix

Prospect Update: Henry Thrun

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September 23rd, 2022