Post being repeatedly updated: The Detroit Red Wings have drafted center Nate Danielson with the 9th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Detroit Red Wings select center Nate Danielson with ninth pick in #NHLDraft2023— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) June 29, 2023
#RedWings select C Nate Danielson— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) June 29, 2023
New blood in Hockeytown! 🌟
With the No. 9 pick in the #NHLDraft, the Red Wings have selected Nate Danielson.#LGRW | @BallySports pic.twitter.com/aP0iqgh7uv— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) June 29, 2023
Red Wings pick Nate Danielson out of WHL Brandon, smooth skating two-way center. Red Wings center mix has improved tremendously the last two drafts, slotting Marco Kasper and Danielson in behind Larkin— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) June 29, 2023
With the 9th pick in the 2023 #NHLDraft, the #RedWings select…
Center Nate Danielson! #DRWDraft pic.twitter.com/c1RZnw88F4— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 29, 2023
With the ninth overall pick of the 2023 #NHLDraft, the Detroit Red Wings select Nate Danielson! 🐙 pic.twitter.com/CIKNJNIRBK— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 29, 2023
Nate Danielson goes to the Detroit Red Wings at #9!#LGRW | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/CGqKy3giAk— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) June 29, 2023
The Red Wings picked Canadian center Nate Danielson with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Danielson is 6’2″ who plays for Brandon of the WHL. pic.twitter.com/SM7cLrsCZs— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) June 29, 2023
From Red Deer to Red Wings … the @DetroitRedWings make Nate Danielson the 9th overall pick.
De Red Deer aux Red Wings… Detroit sélectionne Nate Danielson neuvième au total.#NHLDraft | #RepêchageLNH | @HockeyAlberta pic.twitter.com/mxLjaMS8mP— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) June 29, 2023
The Red Wings select Nate Danielson ninth overall pic.twitter.com/B6HYGmt9LH— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 29, 2023
TSN’s Mark Masters posted a profile of Nate Danielson…
No one had an answer for Regina Pats phenom Connor Bedard in the Western Hockey League this season, but maybe Brandon Wheat Kings centre Nate Danielson came closest.
“He was probably the guy that maybe gave me the hardest game,” Bedard, who scored 71 goals and produced 143 points in 57 games, told the Draft Class podcast during the NHL scouting combine. “He’s so fast, so skilled. If you turn it over or something, he’s going to go down and do something. He’s a great player.”
That’s high praise from the presumptive first overall pick in Wednesday’s draft.
“It’s pretty cool,” Danielson agreed. “He’s a pretty exceptional player. It’s nice to hear that recognition from a guy of his stature.”
Danielson, who stands 6-foot-2, 186 pounds, led the Wheat Kings with 33 goals and 78 points despite facing the tough match-ups every night. His success this season was no accident.
“His 200-foot game improved so much over this past year,” observed Wheat Kings goalie Carson Bjarnason. “It’s something he was telling me he wanted to work on. Me and him have a friendly competition in practice, you know, we’re the first one on and last one off and it’s something he definitely worked on.”
As did Sam Cosentino and Jason Bukala of Sportsnet…
Sam Cosentino on the player: While he may not have the highest ceiling of the top half first round prospects in this draft class, Danielson presents a solid “B” game option, which isn’t necessarily present in others from this group. This all may be a moot point, considering that he’s scored 59 goals and averaged over a point per game in his 145-game WHL career.
Since entering the WHL, Danielson has been tasked with matching up against the opposition’s best, playing high-leverage minutes and taking important faceoffs for the Brandon Wheat Kings. At 6-foot-1, 185 pounds and considering he’s a right-shot centre, there’s plenty to like about Danielson’s projection as an NHL 2C, but at worst, he’s a 3C. Add in the intangibles of being named captain in your draft year, and you have a very well-rounded player of good character.
Jason Bukala’s scouting report: A rangy centreman who does his best work at even strength and on the PP. Ability to make plays coming off the half wall and taking pucks to the net or distributing. Not shy about going to the hard areas and engaging physically either.
Skating has room to go to another level, but he arrives on time at this stage of his development. Projects as a top six NHL forward.
And here’s NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman…
When Marty Murray took over as coach in Brandon on Nov. 28, one of his easiest decisions was making sure center Nate Danielson got as much ice time as he could handle.
“He’s a no-brainer to get the tap on the shoulder if we’re up by a goal or down by a goal going into the last minute, or take a big face-off,” Murray said. “He’s our guy.”
The 18-year-old (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) led Brandon in goals (33), assists (45) and points (78) and won 52.6 percent of his face-offs. He also scored 13 power-play goals and three short-handed goals.
“I thought ice time was something I didn’t really lack, but I thought Marty did a good job of managing my ice time and making sure I was playing the right amounts,” Danielson said. “I thought once he stepped in, it was really good for me and just allowed me to be creative and play my game.
“He always let us be creative and I think that I was able to run with that and really allow myself to play my game and sort of get into a groove.”
Steve Yzerman “We’re still in a rebuilding phase, we’re still in a collecting assets through the draft… we’re still there….we’re not at a point where we feel like, hey we can really start to go for it so to speak. We’re progressing and I hope to be there sooner than later.”— Jeff Riger (@riger1984) June 29, 2023
Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis also penned a profile of Danielson...
This past season, Danielson, a center, had 33 goals and 78 points with the Brandon Wheat Kings, giving the WHL yet another high-profile draft prospect. He built his success on two-way play, rush offense and charging up the ice at speed. Few WHLers were as confident bringing the puck into the offensive zone this year. Sure, highlight-reel players were far and few between, but that doesn’t matter when you score like he does, right?
And that’s what he does so well. He’s a versatile offensive threat – he’s one of the more effective slot passers in the first round, and he uses his quick skating to create chances for himself. Danielson is also a leader, becoming the Wheat Kings’ captain at just 17 years old this season. That’s rare air for a draft prospect, where the focus needs to be on doing everything it takes to stand out. But Danielson handled it with pride, and it clearly didn’t deter from his production.
“When he speaks, his teammates listen,” a Western scout said. “He’s calling plays, getting everyone in position, and then executes. He’s a coach’s dream.”
Danielson’s top-end speed is among the leaders near the top-end of the draft. His transition game is a bit of a mixed bag, but he wins puck races and generates chances by outskating and outworking players in the offensive zone. On the rush, Danielson is excellent.
“My skating and my hockey IQ are two of my biggest strengths,” Danielson said. “I think my 200-foot game is something that I’ve always had, too.”
Here’s EliteProspects’ Draft Guide:
Perhaps no one player in this year’s draft exemplifies the divergence of opinions between the team side and the public sphere than Nate Danielson. Most on our side of the aisle rate the Brandon Wheat Kings centre as a middle-to-late first-round pick; many on the team side as a lock for the first 15 picks. Time will determine who’s right. The reasons to believe in Danielson are obvious. He’s a rangy 6-foot-1 centre with NHL-grade tools almost right across the board. He wore the captain’s C and acquitted himself admirably on a middling-at-best Brandon Wheat Kings team, finishing with 78 points in 68 games —no small feat.
Mostly, Danielson was a creator of rush offence, building speed beneath the puck, charging through the neutral zone with possession, carving the ice up with powerful, agile crossovers, and turning the corner on opposing defenceman. Equal parts natural speed as a skater and handling skill made that a relatively effective signature move for the Wheat Kings centre.
More adaptable handler than a natural problem-solver, Danielson’s handling skill in the face of pressure allowed him to retain possession in a lot of crunchy spots as a puck carrier. Certainly, his ability to diffuse pressure with the puck on his stick was among his best qualities.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman on drafting Nate Danielson No. 9 overall:
“Obviously he’s a centerman. Truthfully, we need help at. We’re looking to add at every position, but we like that he’s a big, strong, two-way centerman.” pic.twitter.com/cvJ32SAtak— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) June 29, 2023
Obviously, surprised Red Wings took Nate Danielson 9th overall. Seemed like he’d be there 17th, and doesn’t strike me as a dynamic player. But Red Wings have drafted well in recent years with outside the box picks… pic.twitter.com/8UpTvVQNnh— Pat Caputo (@patcaputo98) June 29, 2023
“Hi @NateDanielson”
– Marco Kasper ✌️ pic.twitter.com/fYiPGFj4Eh— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 29, 2023
6’0, 186lbs pic.twitter.com/DXHXBKYqmU— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) June 29, 2023
The Hockey News’s Ryan Kennedy compared Danielson to small center Zach Benson:
Danielson is interesting because he’s a lot more advanced defensively than most players his age. He’s a 200-foot center who put up 78 points on a weaker team that finished with a losing record. Scouts estimated that he would have produced even more with a stronger surrounding cast, so if you believe in the offense, he’s a player with a lot of upside despite being one of the oldest first-time eligible players in the draft (his September 27th birthday means he missed last year’s draft by less than two weeks).
“I think we played them 10 times this year so I learned a lot about him,” Benson said. “He’s super-skilled, super-good in the defensive zone and I’d say that’s where he excels the most: in his own end.”
At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Danielson has great NHL size for a burgeoning center. Benson, at 5-foot-9 and 163 pounds, comes in at the opposite end of the spectrum, but the left winger also scored more points than any 2005-born player besides Bedard in major junior, with 98.
“‘Benny’ is a great player,” Danielson said. “Very elusive and skilled; he was tough to play against this year.”
Our Ken Daniels reacts to the Red Wings selecting Nate Danielson with the 9th pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.#LGRW | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/pA0kuCAhWf— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) June 29, 2023
Videos:
Happy to have ya, @NateDanielson‼️ pic.twitter.com/REr8sK6Atd— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 29, 2023
Steve Yzerman addresses the state of the Red Wings:
“We’re still in a rebuilding phase. We’re still collecting assets through the draft. We’re still there. We’re not at a point where we feel like we can go for it. We’re progressing. I hope to be there sooner than later.” pic.twitter.com/FptwLWYeZ2— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) June 29, 2023
WATCH 📽️ | @bdnwheatkings co-captain Nate Danielson met the media in Nashville ahead of Wednesday's First Round of the 2023 #NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/NjmpCCyYlT
— The WHL (@TheWHL) June 27, 2023
Nate. 🔥🔥🔥 #DRWDraft pic.twitter.com/vdTXFcn95H— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 29, 2023
The Detroit Red Wings selected Nate Danielson, a well-rounded center, with the 9th pick in the #NHLDraft
Danielson scored 78 points in 68 games last season in @TheWHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings. #LGRW | #RepDetroit pic.twitter.com/JnOiUSCa1A— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) June 29, 2023
NATE AT NINE!
Congratulations to #BWK Nate Danielson on being selected by the Detroit Red Wings with the 9th overall pick! #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/3VqnJpDmIV— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) June 29, 2023
Update: Here’s the Wings’ press release:
RED WINGS SELECT CENTER NATE DANIELSON NINTH OVERALL IN 2023 NHL DRAFT
… Seventh-Ranked North American Skater Recorded 78 Points in 68 Games With WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings …
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today selected center Nate Danielson in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Danielson captained the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings during the 2022-23 season and ranked among the team leaders with 33 goals (1st), 45 assists (1st), 78 points (1st), 38 penalty minutes (T10th), 13 power play goals (1st), 38 power play points (1st), three shorthanded goals (1st), five game-winning goals (T1st) and 244 shots (2nd) in 68 games. His 78 points were the most by a Wheat Kings player since the 2018-19 campaign. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound forward was named to the WHL East Division’s Second All-Star Team and competed at the 2023 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
Danielson also averaged over a point-per-game during the 2021-22 campaign, tallying 57 points (23-34-57), a plus-18 rating and 34 penalty minutes in 53 games, in addition to three points (1-2-3) in six postseason contests. Danielson made his WHL debut with Brandon 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 140 WHL games.
A native of Edmonton, Alb., Danielson notched 10 points (6-4-10) and 10 penalty minutes in five games with the Red Deer Chiefs under-18 squad prior to the start of the 2020-21 WHL season. Danielson competed for Northern Alberta X-Treme Prep in the Canada Sport School Hockey League during the 2019-20 campaign, logging 60 points (26-34-60) in 27 games, along with five points (1-4-5) in two postseason contests. He played with the Red Deer Rebels AAA program from 2017-19, amassing 85 points (35-50-85) in 65 games at the under-15 level, along with 23 points (10-13-23) in 14 playoff matchups. On the international stage, Danielson won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland, recording three points (2-1-3) and a plus-four rating in four games.
Detroit currently has another selection in the first round (17th overall) and eight picks for the second day of the 2023 Entry Draft: three in the second round (41st, 42nd and 43rd), one in the third round (73rd), one in the fourth round (117th), one in the fifth round (137th), one in the sixth round (169th) and one in the seventh round (201st).
Winged wheel fits him well. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ix6u5JZCre— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 29, 2023
#RedWings 🤝 @NateDanielson. #DRWDraft pic.twitter.com/LWKKU3vWTU— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 29, 2023
Nate Danielson knew there was a chance he’d get selected by the Detroit Red Wings, and now, he’s looking forward to playing for the legendary franchise.@BallySportsDet | @DetroitRedWings | @Peteblackburn | #LGRW pic.twitter.com/nJhYXIBgRT— Bally Sports (@BallySports) June 29, 2023
