Nils Åman Joins Djurgården: A New Chapter in SHL

Djurgården Signs Former Canucks Center Nils Åman

Portrait of a male athlete named Nils Åman, against a blue and sunset background, wearing a sports jersey. — Source:https://www.difhockey.se

By CanucksBanter

July 23, 2026

Former Vancouver Canucks center Nils Åman has officially signed a three-year contract with Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) as of July 21, 2026.

Djurgårdens, who finished ninth in the 14-team SHL last year, aggressively pursued him to fill a gap at center after losing young prospect Viggo Bjorck (recently signed by the Winnipeg Jets) to North America.

“It feels fantastic to be able to add Nils to Djurgården for the next three seasons. The competition for his signature has been enormous, which is a strong recognition for us that Nils believes in what we do and where we are going,” said Sporting Director Marcus Due-Boje.

Nils is a great center who is skilled all over the ice. Great loyalty in the game but despite that he has consistently been able to produce at a high level across North America.

We are getting a top center in both directions, and at an age where he will get better over the entire contract period.”, Due-Boje added.

Åman Excited Being With Djurgården

“I feel like the club has something exciting going on and it’s a journey I want to be a part of. It feels really good to be ready for Djurgården and I’m really looking forward to getting started.

For me, it also feels like the right step in my development and career to come to such a big club, where I can contribute while continuing to develop. I’m really looking forward to the season starting and playing in front of all the fantastic Djurgårds supporters.”

North American Career

After going undrafted in his first two years of eligibility, Åman’s strong two-way game and offensive flashes in Sweden caught the eye of the Colorado Avalanche, who selected him in the sixth round (167th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He was never signed by Colorado.
Signed an NHL free-agent contract with the Vancouver Canucks in June 2022.
Diminishing NHL Role: Over his four years in the Vancouver organization, Åman’s NHL ice time steadily dwindled. After playing a career-high 68 games for the Canucks in the 2022–23 season, he dressed for 43 games in 2023–24, 19 in 2024–25, and only two games this past 2025–26 season.
AHL Production: Despite losing his spot on the main roster, he spent the bulk of last season with the Abbotsford Canucks, leading the team in points with 41 (6 goals, 35 assists) in 55 regular-season games. However, he was ultimately surpassed on the organizational depth chart by other prospects like Ty Mueller.
A restricted free agent following four seasons within the Canucks, Åman was not tendered a qualifying offer and was released as a free agent on June 29, 2026.

Early Career In Sweden

Began youth development with Skogsbo SK and Avesta BK before joining the Leksands IF organization.
HockeyAllsvenskan Debut (2018–19): Åman made his professional debut playing three games for Leksands IF in the HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden’s second-tier league).
- He also played four qualification games, helping the club earn a promotion to the top-tier Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
SHL Debut (2019–20): He debuted in Sweden’s top league, playing eight games for Leksands IF as a depth forward and registering three points. During this season, he was also loaned to Karlskrona HK in the HockeyAllsvenskan for six games to gain extra playing time.
SHL Regular (2020–2022): Over his final two seasons in Sweden before moving to North America, Åman became a full-time professional.
- He played 51 games in both the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons, totaling 24 points (8 goals, 16 assists) across those 102 games while focusing heavily on defensive responsibility and penalty killing.
He represented Sweden at the 2022 IIHF World Championship.