Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson is aiming for the stars.

Story and photo by Mark Newman

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, and as a prospect in the Detroit Red Wings organization's galaxy of potential stars, Griffins center Nate Danielson is as serious as they come.

        At the age of 20, the Red Deer, Alberta, native is focused on proving the Red Wings made the right decision by selecting him with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

        Soft-spoken and endearingly earnest, Danielson has a clarity of purpose beyond his years. Having said goodbye to his teenage days this past September, he is determined to show that he can shine with the brightest.

        While others of his generation might act like they are peering out of the wrong end of the telescope, Danielson seems fixated on stuff that might someday propel him to the NHL, if not outright stardom.

        Take, for example, his reading material. After seeing videos of ultra-endurance athlete David Goggins, he picked up the book, "Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds." It tells the story of how its author overcame poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse to become the only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller.

        "He was on a couple of podcasts and I saw some clips from him," Danielson explained. "It's pretty crazy as far as some of the things he's done. He went through some extreme circumstances and I felt like the whole book was about if you really put your mind to something, you're going to be able to do it. I mean, it's kind of what I want to do. I want to be a hockey player and so that's what I focus on."

        Danielson, who is considering reading the biographies of Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods next, says he is currently reading "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. "The book talks about how to break bad habits and change those little habits that we have," he said. "Like the one thing I wanted to get better at was not being on my phone so much. I wanted to get off my phone, so I started reading books."

        It's that kind of single-mindedness – more than the normal drive and determination – that has been pushing Danielson for as long as he can remember.

        "I have an older brother, Noah, who was playing hockey, and I looked up to him when I was younger," he recalled about his sibling, who is two years his senior. "I wanted to be like him and that's how I got started."

        His electrical engineer father, Marc, played hockey growing up and his dental hygienist mother, Janna, played ringette (a non-contact winter sport similar to hockey), so it was only natural that little Nate was already in ice skates by age four.

       "Growing up, we had a pond that was a five-minute walk from our house," he said. "Being on the outdoor rink with my brother and my dad is how I started. My dad loved to put us through drills and stuff on the outdoor rink or just in the garage. We always had a shooting tarp so we could shoot pucks in the garage."

        Although his father never played professionally, he knew the sport well, according to his son. "He's smart when it comes to hockey and he understands the game," Danielson said. "He coached me growing up and he always wanted to make sure that me and my brother were good skaters because if you can skate, you can play, pretty much."

        Danielson and his brother benefited from the instruction of power skating coaches like Val Norrie, who is known for developing strong skating habits in students by emphasizing balance, agility, and acceleration while training in proper skating techniques.

        "My dad always made sure we enrolled in power skating camps," he said. "Every summer we would drive to Kelowna where there was a power skating camp, and that would be our vacation. It was like 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, where we would be on the ice for a couple of hours a day, and then we'd do dryland [off-ice] training and all that stuff before we would go in the lake at the end of the day – and that was our vacation."

        It was serious stuff, but Danielson suggests he still enjoyed his share of fun and games. "I was always a pretty good student and took it seriously because that's how our parents raised us – to work hard and try to do your best in whatever it is, whether it's school or hockey or just playing anything. We were always competitive and you just always wanted to do your best."

        Danielson put in the work but never envisioned becoming a first-round NHL draft pick. "We'd play hockey all winter and then all spring we were still playing hockey because that's what I wanted to do," he said. "I always had fun playing because that's ALL I wanted to do. That's the way I grew up.

        "It was only when I got older that I realized that this could seriously be something I could do. Even now, it's still just fun to go and play hockey. It doesn't feel like a job or anything."

        Looking back, he is thankful for his father's early coaching efforts. He now sees how learning the fundamentals was instrumental to his development. "If you can get a strong foundation when you're young, I feel like it makes everything so much easier as you get older and you continue to try to work on things."

        And while his dad was always instructive, Danielson never felt his coaching was overbearing.

        "I mean, he wasn't like a crazy dad or anything like that," he said. "When I was younger, he might have been a little harder on me, but looking back, he just wanted me to succeed. He would tell me things that I was doing wrong and things I could improve on. And that's what you want.

        "Even to this day, he tells me how he thinks I played and gives me advice from someone who is watching just me. So it's mostly just a little feedback. Growing up, he never yelled at me. It was all about making me better."

        By age 13, Danielson was already playing U15 hockey. Getting to compete against players who were two years older proved to be highly advantageous to his progress toward junior hockey and, eventually, the pros.

        "When you play against older kids, it pushes you to get better," he said. "I feel like when you're playing against kids who are your age or younger, you're just not getting pushed to the same level as when you're playing against people who are bigger and stronger. It makes a big difference. It's more of a challenge."

        At age 15, Danielson attended Edmonton's Northern Alberta Xtreme Prep, where he was schooled in hockey and became fully immersed in the sport at the U18 level. "I decided to go to the academy and it was a good experience," he said. "That was my first year moving away from home.

        "They were super big on development. We would practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then play Friday, Saturday, and sometimes Sunday. Every Monday and Tuesday, if we had nothing to do with the team, it was all just power skating, skills work, and stuff like that.

        "We would go to the rink in the morning and skate and workout, and then we'd go to school at noon. It was regular school, but most of the class was hockey kids. Edmonton was only about an hour and a half away from home, so I could still go home some weekends.

        "I felt like I matured a lot that year, just living away from home, being on my own, and not being a kid anymore. I thought that year was super good for me."

        The experience helped prepare Danielson for junior hockey, playing in Brandon, Manitoba. He spent 3-1/2 seasons in the prairie province best known for its agricultural production, until a midseason trade in January 2024 sent him packing to Portland, Oregon.

        Looking back, Danielson appreciates the time he spent in Brandon.

        "It's just like a little hockey town with something like 50,000 people who live there. And on the weekends, we were almost like celebrities there. On Friday and Saturday nights, there's not much else to do and it's freezing cold in the winter, so everything's all about hockey."

        Danielson was captain during his last two seasons in Brandon. "I felt like I've always been a leader. Once I got named captain, I didn't really change. Obviously, it's an honor to be captain of any team, but I didn't feel like I had to do anything special."

        In Brandon, Danielson was able to play a couple of games against his brother, who was playing for the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers. "Since we're like two years apart, we never got to play with each other growing up, so it was cool to finally face each other. Our parents and grandparents were able to come, so it was pretty cool."

        His time in Brandon concluded when the Portland Winterhawks traded two players and three WHL draft picks (two 1st-round and one 5th-round) for his services just moments before the WHL's trade deadline.

        The blockbuster deal solidified Portland's push for WHL and Memorial Cup titles. The Winterhawks went 22-5-2 after Danielson joined the lineup to finish first in the U.S. Division and second overall in the Western Conference. Portland won two playoff series before losing to Moose Jaw in the WHL Championship.

        "I was sad leaving Brandon, just with how long I'd spent there. I had a lot of really good friends there," he said. "But I was excited to go to Portland just because of how good of a team they already had. I felt like I could be that little missing piece. I joined them on a road trip and obviously, it was a little different, but by the end of the trip, it felt pretty normal."

        Danielson was Portland's leading scorer in the playoffs, tallying 24 points (7 goals, 17 assists) in 17 games. "It was good to go on a long playoff run and experience the grind of four rounds," he said.

        As far as he was concerned, it was the most fun he's had playing hockey.

        "I think there's been a lot of great times, but when you get to the playoffs, it doesn't compare to the regular season – just how intense it is and how every goal matters so much. When you win those games, the feeling you get is such a great feeling that it was probably the most fun I've had."

         He had previously enjoyed playing for Canada's U16 team in the Junior Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland. "It was pretty cool because it was like an Olympic event, so there was every sport there," he said. "I didn't know about it until a couple of months before the tournament, but I knew I was on the list to make it."

        Danielson was also a member of Canada's U20 team at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden. "As a Canadian kid, you always dream of playing in the World Juniors. Obviously, it was an honor to play for my country and something I'll never forget. My whole experience there was awesome."

        During his junior hockey days, Danielson was already developing a reputation as a reliable 200-foot center – a hard-working forward who was a thorn in the side of the competition's best players. Connor Bedard, the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, singled out Danielson as the toughest player he faced in the WHL.

        "That kind of goes back to my dad, too, when he was coaching me," Danielson said. "He always wanted to make sure I wasn't just caring about scoring. When I would play against other teams, I would know the best players – and I don't know why – but I just found it fun if I could score two goals and have their best player score zero. It just always has been like that.

        "I think, when you're going up against a guy like Connor, that whole thing of being able to shut him down and help your team win, I just found that to be fun, especially when you can tell guys are getting frustrated because you're playing them hard. If you're able to score a couple, that's even better. Playing against the top guys, you find a little extra jump in your game."

        His ability to excel at both ends of the ice led the Red Wings to select Danielson with the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

        "Going into draft night, I didn't expect to be picked by them," he said. "There were other teams that I had been talking to more. I had been talking to them on Zoom throughout the year and met the whole staff at the NHL Combine, but I didn't talk to them again.

        "So I was super surprised. Honestly, it's hard to put into words. I kind of blacked out for a bit there. I doubt I really remember much. I remember hearing my name and then getting to shake all their guys' hands. It was pretty cool."

        When Danielson joined the Griffins last season for the Calder Cup Playoffs, he took jersey number 29.

        "I always liked number nine growing up. I don't know why. I just always liked it," he explained. "When I got to peewee and bantam, I liked number 19. So with 9 and 19 already taken, I thought about 27 because I was born on the 27th, but I also really like Nathan McKinnon and he wears 29, so that's why I decided to pick 29."

        Gordie Howe, of course, wore 9 and Steve Yzerman wore 19, which is perhaps why Danielson was destined to play for the Wings and why the organization used the No. 9 pick on him – 9s are wild. "My mom says that's her lucky number," he chuckles. "Whenever I thought about a new number, she said it had to be something with a 9. When I went to Portland and 29 was taken, I picked 89 there."

        In all seriousness, Danielson feels luck has been on his side. He feels fortunate that he was able to see action in two playoff games at the end of last season as a way to give his pro career a little jump start.

        "It definitely gave me a focus to put on some weight and get strong in the gym," he said. "I put on seven or eight pounds and know I have to just get stronger. I think that's going to come with time. I turned 20 not that long ago, so I still have to grow into my body."

        His transition to pro hockey has been aided by the fact that he often has been paired with some muscle this season. Playing in the middle with veterans like Austin Watson or Dominik Shine at his side has given him space to show his skill.

       "Obviously, both those guys are awesome," he said. "All of our veteran guys are great with helping us younger guys, including off-ice like being a pro, taking care of yourself, and just doing the right things."

        Danielson and his development have been aided by the fact that the Griffins have been playing good team hockey.

        "I think it helped that we came together as a team quickly," he said. "We had a northeastern trip early into the season and all that time together helps you get to know guys when you're all here doing this together.

        "We seemed to gel pretty well as a team, and when you're having success, everyone's a lot happier."

        Danielson seems to be growing more confident as the season progresses. After a somewhat slow start saw him notch four points in his first 12 games, he picked up the pace with 15 points in his next 18 games.

        "The first two weeks or whatever didn't really go too well," he admits. "After that, I feel like my game has continued to get better and better."

        He understands he has a lot to learn.

        "The first couple of games I was still trying to play the same way I played in junior and I realized you can't do that in this league. Guys are just too big and too strong and they're too fast and smart, so I had to change the way I played."

        Danielson feels he is starting to get to the point where he can take the next step. "When you join a new team, a new league, it always takes a little time," he said. "I feel really comfortable and confident now."