F Nate Danielson - Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL (2023, 9th, DET)

[Lavar Ball]

 

[AintLifeGrand]

he like a david legwand or more upside ?

Good potential pick for nashville?

 

[wetcoast]

- Great top speed.
- Average acceleration, needs to work on his first three strides.
- Okay agility, but he definitely needs work here. Sluggish stop and starts, and his cut backs are weak.
- Strong puck protector, good at using his size to shield the puck.
- Likes to attack the middle, and likes to drive the net. Unfazed by traffic.
- Okay touch, sometimes struggles to corral pucks. Needs to work on hand-eye and first touch.
- Okay vision, sometimes seems like he is rushed, which leads to turnovers.
- Physical player, who regularly finishes his checks and is happy to play through contact.

He's very strong, and has a lot of physical tools. I question his hands and hockey sense, but all prospects have issues. If he can work on his agility and his touch, I think he could be a very effective player, because he's big and strong enough to protect the puck and get to the inside, he just needs to be more agile and poised to do it more effectively in the NHL. I think he'd be a great pick as a mid first.

Agree with a lot here and to me he is a "safe" solid floor type of guy but not a ceiling type of guy kind of like a better goal scoring version of Nathan Gaucher in the 22 draft.

 

[FlappyGiraffe]

Agree with a lot here and to me he is a "safe" solid floor type of guy but not a ceiling type of guy kind of like a better goal scoring version of Nathan Gaucher in the 22 draft.

Kind of reminds me of Crouse in 2015 when you put it that way. The talking heads were all saying that he was basically a guarenteed NHLer as a floor.

 

[wetcoast]

Kind of reminds me of Crouse in 2015 when you put it that way. The talking heads were all saying that he was basically a guarenteed NHLer as a floor.

Except a better prospect than Crouse being a center who also is a better offensive guy.

But to your second sentence sure.

 

[majormajor]

he like a david legwand or more upside ?

Good potential pick for nashville?

He could be a Legwand / Mike Fisher. I think Nashville will aim higher. There should be some potential top liners in Nashville's range, around 10-15. Danielson feels like he should go right after that.

 

[Lavar Ball]

Goal already tonight, 5th straight game with one

 

[Lavar Ball]

 

[newfy]

I'm surprised his thread isnt getting more traction. Once a lot of final lists/rankings/mocks get released in the next couple of weeks I think hes going to be the biggest climber. Pronman has him as the 7th best prospect in his latest ranking. The anonymous executives and scouts in another athletic article raved about him and it seems like NHL guys like him more than the public lists right now.

A big, mean, do it all center with NHL upside will go higher than people think. He reminds me of this years Marco Kasper who really climbed close to draft time once actual NHL thoughts got out and the public lists caught up

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

I'm surprised his thread isnt getting more traction. Once a lot of final lists/rankings/mocks get released in the next couple of weeks I think hes going to be the biggest climber. Pronman has him as the 7th best prospect in his latest ranking. The anonymous executives and scouts in another athletic article raved about him and it seems like NHL guys like him more than the public lists right now.

A big, mean, do it all center with NHL upside will go higher than people think. He reminds me of this years Marco Kasper who really climbed close to draft time once actual NHL thoughts got out and the public lists caught up

There's a split opinion on him in the scouting community. I have seen him ranked anywhere from top 10 to 26th.

 

[Joe Hallenback]

I'm surprised his thread isnt getting more traction. Once a lot of final lists/rankings/mocks get released in the next couple of weeks I think hes going to be the biggest climber. Pronman has him as the 7th best prospect in his latest ranking. The anonymous executives and scouts in another athletic article raved about him and it seems like NHL guys like him more than the public lists right now.

A big, mean, do it all center with NHL upside will go higher than people think. He reminds me of this years Marco Kasper who really climbed close to draft time once actual NHL thoughts got out and the public lists caught up

Because points. The analytical people don't like him because he didn't put numbers.

 

[Bounces R Way]

I like this player a lot. Usually when a prospect is as well rounded as ND it's because they have good attention to detail. I don't get the concerns on ceiling, it's only a talking point with him here because the 2023 draft is looking pretty chalked full of abnormally high ceilings, especially among the forwards.

This is a center you can build around, not in the same way you can with Bedard or Fantilli or Carlsson sure but a quality 18 minute a night 2 way guy in the middle of the ice is very very valuable.

 

[Szechwan]

Vancouver appears to be quite interested in him at 11. Depending on which D is still available, I would be he's their pick if he's around.

 

[Ace]

Because points. The analytical people don't like him because he didn't put numbers.

They don’t like him because he’s one of the worst lateral passers in the game. Kind of an important skill…especially for a guy in the middle of the ice. Subpar playmaking ability only sets him at an average of mid 1st…which is, IMO, pretty glowing about the player.

 

[Joe Hallenback]

They don’t like him because he’s one of the worst lateral passers in the game. Kind of an important skill…especially for a guy in the middle of the ice. Subpar playmaking ability only sets him at an average of mid 1st…which is, IMO, pretty glowing about the player.

Well that is one take

 

[LemonSauceD]

Is he physical? Of all prospects, Danielson is the one I haven’t done much research on

 

[Castle8130]

There is no shot this kid gets out of the top 15. I don't think any respectable organization has him outside the top 20.

 

[FlyguyOX]

I'm surprised his thread isnt getting more traction. Once a lot of final lists/rankings/mocks get released in the next couple of weeks I think hes going to be the biggest climber. Pronman has him as the 7th best prospect in his latest ranking. The anonymous executives and scouts in another athletic article raved about him and it seems like NHL guys like him more than the public lists right now.

A big, mean, do it all center with NHL upside will go higher than people think. He reminds me of this years Marco Kasper who really climbed close to draft time once actual NHL thoughts got out and the public lists caught up

It's because he sounds eerily similar to Nolan Patrick. Same team. position, skillset, age in draft year, etc. Very scary thought.

 

[keppel146]

Is he physical? Of all prospects, Danielson is the one I haven’t done much research on

From what I’ve seen, he doesn’t look overly physical or very strong. But I’m not super high on him as a prospect.

 

[LGB]

Danielson is the guy I've seen the most of as I really liked him early and was zeroing in on him as the Blues pick. I've come down on him a bit since then, but I definitely see a guy who can be an NHL 2nd line center. He's generally talked about as a high-floor low-ceiling pick, but I don't really see that as the case. His floor is high in the sense that he will almost certainly play in the NHL given his tools, but I think there are some really valuable attributes as well as flaws and inconsistencies that give him a range of outcomes from really good 2C to fairly ineffective bottom six player.

The strengths I see start with his size and speed. He can fly through the NZ weaving through or powering through checks to generate zone entries and set up scoring chances. I think his handling ability overall is good not great, but he handles well at speed. I like his passing ability, he doesn't generally manipulate defenders to open new lanes, but when he is able to create and advantage on a defender he knows how to find the open guy. I think he could be a high-end puck carrier even in the NHL if he is able to diversify his attacking patterns and further improve his drag and release. Right now I think he too often tries to burn the defender wide and open a back door pass which he will force sometimes when it isn't really there.

The downside is there are a bunch of smaller flaws and inconsistencies that I first dismissed as minor, but add up enough where I think he could be an ineffective player. His posture is very upright which I think really hurts him in the cycle game, he doesn't have good small area agility to evade checks and doesn't have the leverage to lean into players and spin off them. I've also seen a couple weird off-puck plays where he abandons a pocket of space where he would have been a good passing option. I've seen him discussed as a shut-down C which I don't think is the case. He is a pretty effective defender, but the lack of agility means he can be evaded and his compete level on defense is just OK.

Overall I think he will be a center who really excels in the transition game. His ceiling will be determined by how much his rush offense evolves over the next few years and his floor will be determined by how much he is able to improve his puck possession game.

 

[LemonSauceD]

Danielson is the guy I've seen the most of as I really liked him early and was zeroing in on him as the Blues pick. I've come down on him a bit since then, but I definitely see a guy who can be an NHL 2nd line center. He's generally talked about as a high-floor low-ceiling pick, but I don't really see that as the case. His floor is high in the sense that he will almost certainly play in the NHL given his tools, but I think there are some really valuable attributes as well as flaws and inconsistencies that give him a range of outcomes from really good 2C to fairly ineffective bottom six player.

The strengths I see start with his size and speed. He can fly through the NZ weaving through or powering through checks to generate zone entries and set up scoring chances. I think his handling ability overall is good not great, but he handles well at speed. I like his passing ability, he doesn't generally manipulate defenders to open new lanes, but when he is able to create and advantage on a defender he knows how to find the open guy. I think he could be a high-end puck carrier even in the NHL if he is able to diversify his attacking patterns and further improve his drag and release. Right now I think he too often tries to burn the defender wide and open a back door pass which he will force sometimes when it isn't really there.

The downside is there are a bunch of smaller flaws and inconsistencies that I first dismissed as minor, but add up enough where I think he could be an ineffective player. His posture is very upright which I think really hurts him in the cycle game, he doesn't have good small area agility to evade checks and doesn't have the leverage to lean into players and spin off them. I've also seen a couple weird off-puck plays where he abandons a pocket of space where he would have been a good passing option. I've seen him discussed as a shut-down C which I don't think is the case. He is a pretty effective defender, but the lack of agility means he can be evaded and his compete level on defense is just OK.

Overall I think he will be a center who really excels in the transition game. His ceiling will be determined by how much his rush offense evolves over the next few years and his floor will be determined by how much he is able to improve his puck possession game.

Would you say a faster Horvat is his comparable?

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I'm surprised his thread isnt getting more traction. Once a lot of final lists/rankings/mocks get released in the next couple of weeks I think hes going to be the biggest climber. Pronman has him as the 7th best prospect in his latest ranking. The anonymous executives and scouts in another athletic article raved about him and it seems like NHL guys like him more than the public lists right now.

A big, mean, do it all center with NHL upside will go higher than people think. He reminds me of this years Marco Kasper who really climbed close to draft time once actual NHL thoughts got out and the public lists caught up

Here's another one that people are forgetting about.

The Prospect Report: Mark Scheifele

Ranked 16th overall by talking heads. Teams thought different and he went 7th to the Jets.

 

[LGB]

Would you say a faster Horvat is his comparable?

If I had to make a comparison I'd say he's a poor man's Mika Zibanejad. Lacks the IQ and hands, but the rest of their games I think are fairly comparable.

 

[keppel146]

Physically he reminds me of Adrian Kempe for some reason

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

I like this player a lot. Usually when a prospect is as well rounded as ND it's because they have good attention to detail. I don't get the concerns on ceiling, it's only a talking point with him here because the 2023 draft is looking pretty chalked full of abnormally high ceilings, especially among the forwards.

This is a center you can build around, not in the same way you can with Bedard or Fantilli or Carlsson sure but a quality 18 minute a night 2 way guy in the middle of the ice is very very valuable.

Imagine:

Huberdeau-Danielson-Coronato
Mangiapane-Lindholm-Pelletier

top 6.

Huberdeau the elite playmaker. Danielson the transition player/defensive forward. Coronato the forechecker and shooter.
Mangiapane the transition player. Lindholm the sniper/defensive forward. Pelletier the Tkachuk lite forechecker.