2023 First Rounder Nate Danielson signs ELC

Nate Danielson, whom the Detroit Red Wings with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, signed his three-year entry-level contract this morning.

Danielson led the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings in goals and assists a year ago, with 33 markers and 45 helpers in 68 games.  He got his first taste of life in Detroit at Red Wings development camp over the first week of the month.

At camp, Danielson said the "go go go" nature of his path from the draft in Nashville to development camp at Little Caesars Arena two days later meant there hadn't had a chance for his latest professional progress to sink in.  

When asked to describe his strengths and weaknesses as a player, Danielson said "I'm a 200-foot player.  That's something I've always been good at.  And with my strengths, my skating and hockey IQ are probably my two biggest strengths as a player.  Working on things—I think just getting bigger and stronger as well as quicker and more explosive."

As for how he plans to spend the rest of the summer, Danielson kept it simple: "Get back to Red Deer [Alberta], and get back to the gym, and continue to work on those things."

In the NHL, any player under the age of 25 (as of September 15th in the year of the deal) signing their first contract must sign an entry-level contract or ELC.  For players between 18 and 21, the entry-level deal is three years long.  Because Danielson is just 18 at the time of signing, he is eligible for his ELC to "slide" this season.  

Per our friends at PuckPedia, "When a player on an entry-level contract is 18 or 19 (as of Sept 15) their entry level contract is slide eligible. This means their team may choose to return them to junior and avoid using a year of their contract. In this case the contract slides. The net effect is that the term length of their contract doesn't start."  As such, Danielson could in theory play up to nine NHL games this season, while remaining slide eligible.  

However, CHL players like Danielson cannot play in the AHL in the first year of the ELC because of the transfer agreement between the CHL and the NHL.  OHL, WHL, and QMJHL teams do not want their players leaving the CHL ranks while still young enough to be eligible if it isn't to play NHL rather than AHL hockey.

Danielson will begin the season with Brandon, who should be in for a significant improvement on last year's results given the cyclical nature of life in Canadian major junior.

At his post-free agency press availability, Steve Yzerman stressed the Red Wings' intention of remaining patient with the team's various highly touted prospects, stressing that he wants players like Danielson, Marco Kasper, and Simon Edvinsson to earn their places in the NHL line-up, rather than being rushed into such a role.  

"We'll let their play determine where they go," Yzerman said. "We aren't going to put ourselves in a position where we hope they're going to make it, because if they don't, then what do we do?"

With that in mind, it's possible Danielson gets a brief NHL cameo this season, but it's a near certainty his ELC will slide another season.