It was during last year’s training camp and preseason that Nate Danielson truly put his name on the map. As the Detroit Red Wings’ top pick in the 2023 draft, it was expected that he would stand out, even if it was just among his age group. However, he exceeded expectations by looking like he belonged in the NHL lineup. Although he was one of the final cuts before the start of the season, he preceded to have an impressive season in the Western Hockey League.
After making his American Hockey League (AHL) debut during the Grand Rapids Griffins’ playoff run last season, Danielson is now one of a handful of forward prospects that have a legitimate shot at securing a roster spot in Detroit. It won’t be easy given the number of NHL contracts on the Red Wings’ books as well as his peers that are also looking to join the Red Wings.
If any of Detroit’s prospects can make it happen, however, it’s Danielson.
Danielson Catches Patrick Kane’s Eye
The strength of Danielson’s game is in his compete level and his ability to act as a facilitator in the offensive zone. While he knows how to put the puck in the net himself, he is far more adept at maintaining puck possession and creating for his teammates. His ability to make an impact in many different ways has already caught the attention of some important figures within the Red Wings organization, including future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane.
“Danielson’s really impressive,” Kane said after the first day of training camp. “I skated a with him a little bit when I first came into Detroit. A lot of skill. Kind of reminds me a little bit of [Connor] Bedard the way he plays and the way he stick-handles and shoots. I know he’s a high-end prospect as well but he looks like he’s got a bright future.”
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“I don’t know about that,” Danielson said this week of Kane comparing him to Bedard. “It’s cool to hear a compliment from Patrick Kane, he’s obviously someone I look up to. Just having him here, he’s someone I try to pick his brain and see what he thinks and what he likes to do.
But yeah, that’s a nice compliment I guess.”
Kane has played with a long list of quality NHLers throughout his career, so it is probably safe to say he knows a good hockey player when he sees one. While Danielson wasn’t the only Red Wings prospect Kane mentioned, Danielson is the one he said the most about. If Danielson is catching Kane’s eye, he’s probably catching the Red Wings’ decision-makers’ eyes as well.
How Danielson Would Fit
Danielson is a natural center, and a right-handed one at that. J.T. Compher is the only other right-handed centerman that will be on the Red Wings’ roster this season; that gives Danielson a way in as he looks to prove his worth in the preseason.
As general manager Steve Yzerman has stated many times throughout his tenure, the organization’s prospects are not going to play in Detroit unless there’s a sizeable role waiting for them there. In regards to Danielson, this means he probably has to secure the second line center position while also playing a role on the power play. Doing so would put him in position to play with Kane as well as Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. With Kane’s endorsement of Danielson, you do have to wonder if the veteran winger already sees how he would fit alongside the 19-year-old centerman.
With the Red Wings seemingly trying to foster some chemistry between Tarasenko, Compher and Jonatan Berggren early in the preseason, there is a path for Danielson to earn that spot next to Kane. However, Danielson’s biggest competition for that spot, aside from Compher, is Marco Kasper, the Red Wings’ top pick in the 2022 draft (eighth overall).
Kasper has been an early standout in training camp and the preseason. We are two seasons removed from his draft year, and that’s usually right around when top-10 picks start to look like bona fide NHLers. Both and he and Danielson have long been characterized by their two-way abilities and their compete levels. As much as Danielson fits the mold of a playmaker, Kasper is kind of a jack of all trades that can fill a variety of roles and be successful.
If either Kasper or Danielson is going to make the roster, they have to look good playing with and against high-end NHLers. The player that does that the best will be the one that forces the Red Wings’ front office and coaching staff to make a difficult decision.
Danielson’s 2024-25 Path
If he is unable to crack the Red Wings’ 2024-25 roster, Danielson has a spot waiting for him in the AHL with the Griffins. He would receive all the minutes he can handle and it probably wouldn’t be long before he completely earned the trust of head coach Dan Watson. The Red Wings, as an organization, tend to believe that their prospects should play at least one full season in the AHL before making the full-time jump to the NHL. If Danielson can bypass that organizational belief, much like Lucas Raymond did back in 2021, it’ll be because he gave the Red Wings no choice but to keep him up.
Regardless of whether he starts the season in Grand Rapids or Detroit, Danielson is firmly on the radar as a prospect that is knocking on the door. Even if he does start in the AHL, he will probably play some NHL games this season when injuries deplete the Red Wings’ lineup. If/when that happens, expect him to make it difficult to justify sending him back to the AHL.
That is, unless Danielson accomplishes his goal of making the Red Wings’ roster outright.
