The Red Deer Advocate’s Ian Gustafson spoke with two of Red Wings 9th overall pick Nate Danielson’s youth hockey coaches regarding the talent and hard work involved in Danielson’s ascent to a top-10 pick in last month’s 2023 NHL Draft:
Danielson first started getting noticed when he suited up for the U15 AAA Red Deer Rebels.
Head coach of the Rebels Justin Jarmolicz said he was happy to see Danielson selected so high in the draft.
“To be in the top 10 in the draft is unreal,” he said. “To have a legend like Steve Yzerman call his name it was pretty fun to watch. Honestly, he’s just grown in leaps and bounds. He’s gotten so much bigger and stronger. His game hasn’t changed a whole bunch since Bantam… He’s always been so good at playing and understanding the game. He’s taking off and it’s pretty awesome to see.”
Danielson played for the U15 Rebels from 2017-2019 and really took a massive step statistically in his second year at the Bantam level. He potted 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in 29 games during the 2018-19 season as a 14-year-old.
“He always talks about being a really good 200-foot centreman that likes to meet the challenge of playing other team’s top players and he was like that when he was with us too,” Jarmolicz said. “He’s a really responsible player that has a lot of offensive gifts and vision. You’re starting to see that even when he was a first-year U15 player. Just the stuff he could create by making plays, not many other guys see especially at that age.”
Even with the talent on display as a youngster, Jarmolicz explained he never could have imagined Danielson as a top 10 NHL draft pick.
“That’s definitely a feather in his cap for the hard work he’s put in to get himself there and we’re all super proud of him,” he said.
