There was a weird moment during Red Wings first round draft pick Nate Danielson’s press conference a couple days ago, where a discussion of Connor Bedard’s praise for Danielson’s competitiveness turned into a praise-fest for Bedard.
Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff duly noted the point of the exchange in Detroit Hockey Now’s morning “Daily”:
Center Nate Danielson, the top draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, is fast friends with Connor Bedard. That’s interesting, because Bedard, the first overall selection of the recent NHL entry draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, is listing Danielson among his toughest opponents in the WHL.
“Me and Connor have got to be pretty good buddies over the last couple of years,” Danielson said. “Just having someone as good as him say something like that is cool to hear. When I go up against him I’m not really trying to key on him. I kind of try to play my own game but yeah, it’s obviously nice to hear that from him.”
Danielson is anticipating that for all the hype that is surrounding Bedard’s arrival to the NHL, he’s expecting his buddy to outdo those lofty expectations.
“He’s an unbelievable player,” Danielson said. “I expect him to have another good year next year. He’s sort of been someone who’s dealt with high expectations his whole life and has always found a way to exceed them.”
