A prospect Detroit left behind has found a new home in the nation’s capital as the Washington Capitals announced on Thursday that they have signed Swedish center Theodor Niederbach to a one-year, two-way $1.025 million contract, general manager Chris Patrick announced. The 24-year-old will be getting an opportunity that the Detroit Red Wings chose not to offer him.
Detroit selected Niederbach 51st overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, a second-round swing on a playmaking center out of Sweden with a promising junior pedigree. He represented his country at the World Junior Championship in both 2021 and 2022 and was considered one of the organization’s more intriguing prospects at the time. But the Red Wings never extended an entry-level contract, and his draft rights were eventually allowed to expire.
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He returned to Sweden and quietly built one of the more consistent records among North American-drafted prospects playing in the SHL, a defensively structured league where 30 points in a season is considered a genuine benchmark.
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Niederbach has cleared it in back-to-back campaigns, posting a career-high 32 points on 13 goals and 19 assists in 52 games with Frölunda this past season. Over 238 career SHL games with Swedish clubs MoDo, Rögle BK and Frölunda, he has accumulated 100 points.
Washington is betting that production translates as Niederbach may begin his North American pro career with the Hershey Bears, Washington’s AHL affiliate, who are currently in the division semifinals against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
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If he sticks, Detroit fans may eventually find themselves watching a familiar name flourish elsewhere, a reminder of a draft night decision that didn’t go the way the organization planned.
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