Detroit's 2023 first round pick Nate Danielson has joined the Grand Rapids Griffins following his elimination from the WHL Playoffs
Detroit's 2023 first round pick Nate Danielson has joined the Grand Rapids Griffins following his elimination from the WHL Playoffs
On Saturday morning, the Red Wings reassigned center Nate Danielson (selected ninth overall at last June's draft) from the Portland Winterhawks to the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Danielson arrives in GR after his WHL playoff run with the Winterhawks came to an end at the hands of the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL Finals. He finished his postseason with 24 points in just 18 games.
Now, Danielson is set to join the Griffins as they continue their march through the Calder Cup Playoffs, where they hold a 1-0 series in their best-of-five Central Division Finals series against the Milwaukee Admirals.
Game two of that series will be Monday night in Milwaukee, and per GR coach Dan Watson, it could become Danielson's professional debut, saying,“He’s an option [for Game 2]. Obviously, he finished the other night, traveled back and now he’s going to travel here. We’ll talk to him, see how he’s feeling…See if he can be up to speed with us, but he’s certainly a good option for us for the lineup.”
Watson added of Danielson, “I got to see him through Red Wings Training Camp. Smart player. He thinks the game extremely well. He’s a smooth skater. He does have good skill.”
That skill and intelligence were on full display in Danielson's dominant WHL campaign. Now, his next challenge will be translating those gifts to the American League, and it could begin as soon as Monday night.
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