The Detroit Red Wings wasted no time getting their top pick from last month’s NHL draft under contract.
Nate Danielson, the No. 9 pick from the 2023 class, was signed to an entry-level contract Wednesday, two weeks after the Wings added him to the rebuild. The night they drafted him, June 28 in Nashville, Tenn., general manager Steve Yzerman was effusive about Danielson’s appeal.
“We like all parts of his game,” Yzerman said. “He’s got pretty good size, he’s a good skater, he’s got good skills, he’s a good two-way centerman, so there’s a lot to like about him. He’s just a solid all-around prospect.”
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The 6-foot-2, 186-pound forward captained the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings during the 2022-23 season and was the team leader in numerous categories: 33 goals, 45 assists, 78 points, 13 power play goals, 38 power play points and three shorthanded goals. Danielson was named to the WHL East Division’s Second All-Star Team and competed at the 2023 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
For all his nice numbers, Danielson’s best scouting report came courtesy of 2023’s top pick Connor Bedard, who said Danielson was the toughest center he faced in the WHL.
“It kind of stands out when you hear Connor Bedard talking about how tough he is to play against,” Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper said. “That brought a smile to our faces.”
Part of Danielson’s appeal is that he is a right-shot center; Marco Kasper, selected at No. 8 in 2022, is a left-shot center.
Danielson, 18, does not project to make the NHL right away, and because he has another year of junior eligibility, he is not eligible to play in the AHL. He made his WHL debut in 2020-21, logging 15 points (3-12-15), a plus-one rating and eight penalty minutes in 24 appearances. In total, Danielson has compiled 150 points (59-91-150), a plus-seven rating and 80 penalty minutes in 145 WHL games.
“I know I need to get bigger and stronger as well as just being quicker and more explosive,” Danielson said during development camp this month. “So, I’m going to go home (to Edmonton), get in the gym and start working on those things.
“I have an NHL team now, but I still have to earn an NHL roster spot.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.