Per the Detroit Red Wings:
UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed forward Nate Danielson to a three-year entry-level contract.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 12, 2023
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RED WINGS SIGN NATE DANIELSON TO ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACT
… Center Was Picked Ninth Overall by Detroit at 2023 NHL Entry Draft …
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed center Nate Danielson to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Danielson, 18, was selected by the Red Wings in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. on June 28-29, and participated at Detroit’s Development Camp from July 1-5 at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound forward 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. Danielson 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 WHL season, 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 145 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 season, logging 60 points (26-34-60) in 27 games, along with five points (1-4-5) in two postseason contests. He played for 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.
Update: Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis wrote a nice write-up regarding the signing:
Danielson was taken ninth overall by the Red Wings at last month’s NHL Draft. The Canadian spent the entirety of his season in the Western Hockey League with the Brandon Wheat Kings, where he had 33 goals, 45 assists, and 78 points in 68 games.
It was his first season as captain with the Wheat Kings, with the big-bodied forward registering 59 goals, 91 assists, and 150 points in 145 regular seasons games over three years.
Danielson’s top-end speed is among the leaders near the top-end of the 2023 draft class. 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 before getting selected. “I think my 200-foot game is something that I’ve always had, too.”
The Edmonton native has also represented Canada in international competition, winning bronze at the 2020 Youth Winter Olympic Games in Switzerland.
Danielson joins a prospect pool on Red Wings consisting of Marco Kasper, Carter Mazur, Simon Edvinsson and more. The Red Wings finished with a 35-37-10 record in the 2022-23 season, giving them 80 points which was good enough for seventh in the Atlantic Division and 24th in the league. They missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
Here’s a bit of the Free Press’s Helene St. James’ write-up:
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.”
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.”
