Breaking: Red Wings '23 First Rounder Danielson Traded to WHL's Portland Winterhawks
Prized Detroit prospect Nate Danielson was moved at the WHL's trade deadline from the Brandon Wheat Kings to the Portland Winterhawks
Today, in the final moments before the WHL's trade deadline, Nate Danielson—whom the Detroit Red Wings selected ninth overall at last summer's NHL Draft—was moved from the Brandon Wheat Kings to the Portland Winterhawks.
Portland sent forward Nick Johnson, defenseman Rhett Ravndahl, and three draft picks back to Brandon in exchange for Danielson.
The move had been hinted at and then initially reported by Sportsnet's Jeff Marek and Joshua Critzer of PNW Hockey Talk.
Danielson has 26 points (12 goals and 14 assists) in 26 games so far these season for the Wheat Kings and will look to help Portland's push for WHL and Memorial Cup titles.
The Wheat Kings are currently fifth in the WHL's Eastern Conference with a .577 points percentage, while the Winterhawks are second in the league's Western Conference on raw points to the Prince George Cougars (56 to 52) and first by points percentage (.703 to .700).
Though that position is good enough to qualify for the playoffs, Brandon is unlikely to be a serious contender come the WHL postseason, while Portland is among the league's front runners.
From a developmental perspective, this should afford Danielson the chance to play high leverage postseason hockey with the Winterhawks, who have not won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL postseason champs since 2013 and haven't won the Memorial Cup as CHL champions since 1998, six years before Danielson was born.
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