Of brief prospect-related note early this morning:
- NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale examined one player to watch for every team taking part in a prospect tournament/showcase/set of games this upcoming weekend. He gives Nate Danielson his nod as the Wings’ prospect to watch…
Traverse City Prospects Tournament
Nate Danielson, F, Detroit Red Wings: There’s a professionalism and determination about Danielson that has the Red Wings excited about his future with the organization. The 19-year-old right-handed shot (6-2, 185), selected No. 9 in the 2023 draft, will likely play this season in Grand Rapids (AHL). Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, who won the Calder Trophy last season, called Danielson the most difficult player to skate against in his draft class. Danielson plays every situation and has shown consistent success on face-offs.
Emil Hemming, F, Dallas Stars: The 18-year-old right wing (6-2, 205), chosen No. 29 in the 2024 draft, will play for Barrie of the OHL after scoring 11 points (seven goals, four assists) and averaging 10:04 of ice time in 40 games last season with TPS in Liiga, Finland’s top professional men’s league. He’s a sniper, a good physical presence, hard to knock off the puck and has a willingness to work in the dirty areas of the ice to create offense.
And Red Wings prospect and University of Notre Dame forward Brennan Ali was among a slate of NHL-drafted players who spoke about the experiences of attending summer development camps with FightingIrish.com:
A 2022 Detroit Red Wings draft pick, Brennan Ali has also spent the previous three summers attending development camps in Michigan. He shared a similar sentiment, “I feel like camp can be a grind, but you’re ready for it because you’ve been at Notre Dame, which is very academically and athletically challenging as well as being very regimented, you’re very scheduled, so you’re ready for that grind because you’ve experienced it before.”
…
Through all the mental battles and hard work the draftees were competing and training with other players in the same boat as them. Players on other college teams or playing in European or Canadian leagues, all with the goal of playing for an NHL team.
“It’s pretty eye opening how detailed and hard working a lot of the other players are,” Ali said of his Red Wings peers. “Everyone has a mutual respect for one another because we all know how much work we’ve put in to be there and you know that everyone else is putting in just as much work as you, so we all understand that we all deserve to be there.”
