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Nate Danielson

Atlantic Notes: Canadiens-Senators, Guhle, Red Wings

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No supplemental discipline is expected after a flurry of controversial hits and injuries in last night’s Canadiens-Senators preseason tilt, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.

The fireworks started late in the first period when Ottawa forward Ridly Greig elevated his arms to lay a blindside hit on Montreal center Kirby Dach, receiving an interference minor and briefly knocking him out of the game. Dach would return, but that didn’t stop Habs defender Arber Xhekaj from charging Sens star Tim Stützle with a similar hit midway through the second period, earning himself an interference major and a game misconduct. He also received matching minors with Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk after the play. Neither Stützle nor Tkachuk returned to the contest with upper-body injuries, per the team.

Dach and Greig brawled during the third after the former returned to the game. Both players received fighting majors and 10-minute misconducts. Dach also received an extra minor for interference on the play. The Xhekaj hit on Stützle was likely most prone to a potential suspension. Still, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety believes the game misconduct assessed on the play was appropriate on its own.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Staying with Montreal, defenseman Kaiden Guhle is skating in a regular jersey at Wednesday’s practice, per Engels. It’s the first time he’s done so since having his appendix removed at the beginning of training camp. The 2020 16th overall pick signed a six-year, $33.3MM extension to remain a Canadien for the long haul in July, but he’ll still play out this season under the final year of his entry-level contract. The Edmonton native has quickly established himself as a top-four defender, averaging 20:51 per game last season and adding 22 points (6 G, 16 A) with a -8 rating in 70 contests.
  • Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde is “very impressed” with how forward prospects Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, and Carter Mazur have performed in training camp, he told The Athletic’s Max Bultman. “They’ve kind of played into my optimistic vision of them,” he added. “I like all three. I think I’ve stated that quite a bit over the last year, year and a half, and they’ve done nothing to disappoint.” The trio are still long shots to make the opening night roster with some crowded roster math working against them, but it’s clear they’ll be at the top of the list for in-season call-ups and should each get at least a few NHL reps this year.

Atlantic Notes: Kulich, Komarov, Danielson

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Buffalo Sabres’ prospect Jiri Kulich has played himself into a decent situation heading into training camp after dominating the Buffalo Prospect Showcase. Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff argued earlier today that Buffalo must get Kulich to the NHL as soon as possible for him and the team to flourish.

Kulich was drafted by the Sabres organization with the 28th pick of the 2022 NHL Draft and has transitioned well in the AHL with 51 goals and 91 points through his first 119 regular season contests. Buffalo had a genuine logjam of forward prospects looking to make their way to the NHL level but the team’s trade of prospect Matthew Savoie this summer paved the way for Kulich to make the opening night lineup.

He can play at all three forward positions and has elevated his play away from the puck with one scout saying, “But now you’re seeing the intensity away from the puck, too. It’s a work in progress but he has come a long way in making himself more rounded“. It’s difficult to see where exactly Kulich fits into the opening night roster for the Sabres Still, a strong showing at camp could allow Kulich to wrestle away ice time from anyone currently pencilled in the team’s bottom six.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • If you ask Scott Wheeler and Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic, the Sabres got the steal of the draft in 2022 (Subscription Article). Defenseman Vsevolod Komarov was a relatively unknown commodity after scoring two goals and 19 points in 60 games with the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts during his draft year. He helped the Remparts to a Memorial Cup championship in 2023 but became another player entirely after being traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs last year. Komarov exploded for 11 goals and 50 points in 38 games for the Voltigeurs while adding another five goals and 15 points in 19 postseason contests. The 2023-24 QMJHL Defenseman of the Year and Playoff MVP is expected to join the AHL’s Rochester Americans this season with plenty of excitement around him.
  • The Detroit Red Wings are eager to see how the ninth overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, Nate Danielson, responds to more pressure at this year’s training camp says Max Bultman of The Athletic (Subscription Article). Danielson played well in training camp last year but was assuredly headed back to the junior level no matter how well he played. Bultman asked assistant director of player development, Daniel Cleary, where he thought Danielson would end up this year to which he responded, “I have inner thoughts that I don’t want to say out loud. But not a lot would surprise me, for Nate“. He’s showing more offensive talent than previously expected finishing last year’s WHL playoffs with seven goals and 24 points in only 18 games.

Red Wings Re-Assign Nate Danielson To AHL

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Nate Danielson’s junior season has come to an end but he could still see some game action yet.  Detroit’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids announced that the Red Wings have re-assigned the center to AHL Grand Rapids.

The 19-year-old was the ninth overall selection last June following a strong campaign with WHL Brandon.  This season, he put up similar numbers, notching 24 goals and 43 assists in just 54 contests between Brandon and Portland, who acquired him midseason after suiting up for Canada at the World Juniors.  Danielson was quite productive in the postseason as well, collecting 24 points in 18 games, good for a tie for fourth in WHL playoff scoring.

If he gets into a game, he’ll be the fourth Detroit first-round pick and sixth draft choice overall to make his Griffins debut a year after being drafted.  Grand Rapids won the opener of the Central Division Finals back on Wednesday so they will have some time to work Danielson into their lineup if they want to give him a taste of AHL action ahead of what should be his first full professional campaign next season.

Snapshots: Gauthier, Chytil, Danielson

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Cutter Gauthier shared that he is currently planning to sign his entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks following the conclusion of Boston College’s season, per team reporter Derek Lee. This news comes after Gauthier’s sudden trade to Anaheim, with the Ducks sending Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick back to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Gauthier added that he feels Boston College has a good chance of winning the 2024 Beanpot and the NCAA championship. The Eagles currently rank on top of USCHO.com’s Men’s Ice Hockey Rankings, boasting a 13-3-1 record. They are tied with the University of Maine for the fewest losses of any top-20 team.

Gauthier has commanded the top center role with Boston College this season, scoring 23 points in his 17 appearances this year – a mark that’s ranked second on the team, behind New York Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault, who has 25 points. Gauthier earned the top role partway through his freshman year last season when he led the team in scoring with 37 points in 32 games. His goal-scoring has also been of note in college, with his 13 goals in 17 games ranked fourth in the NCAA in goals-per-game.

Other notes from around the league:

  • If and when young centerman Filip Chytil is able to return from long-term injured reserve is likely to dictate how the New York Rangers approach the trade deadline, per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. Rosen shares that the Rangers could certainly be an active team as the trade deadline approaches, but that Chytil’s $4.4375MM cap hit will severely limit the team’s ability to add talent should it be added back to their bill. Chytil has been out of action since November 2nd, missing 23 games. The 24-year-old recently returned to his home country of Czechia to continue recovering from what is believed to be a concussion. Chytil recorded 22 goals and 45 points in 74 games last season.
  • Detroit Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson has been traded in the WHL, moving from the Brandon Wheat Kings to the Portland Winterhawks. In return, Brandon has received Nicholas Johnson, Rhett Ravndahl, two first-round picks, and a fifth-round pick. Johnson hasn’t played since December 10th, battling his way back from a lower-body injury. Danielson is one of only two players on the Brandon roster scoring at a point-per-game pace, managing 26 points in as many appearances. He led the team in scoring last year with 33 goals and 78 points in 68 games – a mark that was enough for Detroit to select him with the ninth-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He now moves to a Portland team that ranks second in the WHL’s Western Conference, with a 25-10-2 record.

Atlantic Notes: DeBrusk, Peksa, Red Wings

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Independent Boston Bruins reporter Joe Haggerty surmises that Brandon Hagel’s recent eight-year, $6.5MM AAV extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning likely sets the table for Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk’s next deal. The circumstances surrounding DeBrusk are a bit different, however. Not only is DeBrusk two years older than Hagel, but he’s slated for unrestricted free agency next summer – a threat Tampa wasn’t facing with Hagel, at least not imminently.

The two players have performed relatively similarly over the past two seasons. DeBrusk has 52 goals and 92 points in 141 games since 2021, while Hagel has 55 goals and 108 points in 158 games. Both have shown the ability to be high-end complementary players to stars in the top six, and Hagel was paid as such this week. With DeBrusk, however, it seems more prudent for the Bruins to wait it out and see how he starts the season without David Krejci or Patrice Bergeron to serve as his center. If DeBrusk’s production trails off with decreased support down the middle, the Bruins could very well trade DeBrusk or let him walk to UFA if his ask is similar to Hagel’s.

Elsewhere from the Atlantic Division today:

  • It appears Toronto Maple Leafs goalie prospect Vyacheslav Peksa will be staying in North America, according to The Score’s Kyle Cushman. There had been some conflicting reports on whether the Leafs would loan Peksa back to Russia for 2023-24 – Peksa himself told Cushman earlier this summer he anticipated staying in Toronto (with the AHL’s Marlies) this season, while assistant general manager Hayley Wickenheiser told reporters at development camp that Peksa would be loaned out. Peksa, a 2021 sixth-round pick, posted a sparkling .921 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average on a struggling Bars Kazan team in the Russian second-tier VHL last season.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have announced their roster for their first event of the 2023-24 league year – their annual prospect tournament held in Traverse City. On offense, they’ll have 2022 and 2023 top-ten picks suiting up in Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson, among others. 2021 first-round selection Sebastian Cossa will also participate between the pipes.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Nate Danielson To Entry-Level Contract

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The Detroit Red Wings became the third team to ink a 2023 top-ten pick today, signing center Nate Danielson to a three-year, entry-level contract. The 18-year-old forward was selected by the Red Wings with the ninth overall pick two weeks ago, becoming the fifth center off the board after Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli, and Will Smith comprised the first four picks of the draft. Financial terms haven’t been reported.

Like Bedard, Danielson captained his WHL team during the 2022-23 season. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound center was the life and soul of the Brandon Wheat Kings last year, leading the team in goals (33), assists (45), and points (78) across 68 games while demonstrating a dominant two-way game with a mediocre supporting cast.

The questions around Danielson aren’t around holes in his game. He’s solid in transition, smart in his defensive positioning without the puck, and he’s even rather proficient on the power play, potting 13 goals and 38 points on the man advantage last season. It’s whether or not he can elevate his scoring potential to align with the others picked around him in an incredibly talented 2023 class.

Consistency is certainly the name of his game, posting scoring totals above a point per game in his two pre-draft seasons. While he was one of the oldest players in his class (a late September 2004 birthday), there’s very little risk of a complete bust with a Danielson selection. Ideally, Detroit will let him develop as long as he needs, allowing him to develop the offensive tools he needs to be an everyday top-six producer.

He was one of the more well-rounded centers available in the draft, though, a position that Detroit’s struggled to develop in recent seasons. They’ve plugged their holes down the middle in free agency with players like Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher, and hopefully, their performances give Danielson the runway he needs to develop into the legitimate second-line center they’ve been missing behind captain Dylan Larkin.

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