The Athletic’s Max Bultman offers half-a-dozen impressions of the Red Wings prospects’ play over the course of this past weekend’s Prospect Games in Frisco, Texas:
I like what I see from Nate Danielson just about every time I watch him. He’s always in the right place defensively, a testament to his hockey sense. He’s a strong skater, he’s skilled and he shows a real feel for distributing the puck. All of that, at 6-foot-2, is a strong collection of traits for a young center.
The question with him, historically, has tended to be whether his statistical production matches his tools and the visual impact. This weekend it did, as Danielson was on the scoresheet in both games, tallying a goal and an assist while playing in every possible situation for the Red Wings.
“I was hoping that he was going to be one of the best players on the ice tonight, (and) he was,” head coach Dan Watson said after the Saturday game, and Sunday was much of the same.
He transported the puck, showed off an advanced defensive stick and looked noticeably thicker, too, later saying he put on “probably seven or eight pounds.” He measured in at 197 lbs. going into camp. That should be valuable as he tries to translate his strong two-way game against NHL size and strength.
Based on how Detroit has handled top prospects under Steve Yzerman, Danielson will need to be virtually undeniable to break camp with the Red Wings. But in my eyes, their best-case scenario this season involves him being part of the roster for a large portion of the year.
Continued (paywall)
