Nate Danielson may not be grabbing the loudest headlines in Red Wings camp, but he’s been making the kind of steady case that coaches notice.
With the NHL’s new four-game preseason format trimming veterans to just two exhibition appearances, the schedule has opened the door for younger players to get real runway. Danielson has taken advantage of that chance, and while his name hasn’t popped on the stat sheet the way some of Detroit’s other prospects have, his play has stood out more than it did a year ago.
That matters, because last training camp Danielson was being talked about as a possible opening night option. This time around, he’s been working in the background while other prospects like defenseman Anton Johansson and winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard have drawn more attention by filling up the scoresheet as the two former SHL products have been lighting up the scoreboard.
Even so, Danielson has been hard to miss in the way he’s played. Outside of the Red Wings’ exhibition game against the Buffalo Sabres, he has regularly been the center winning puck battles and helping drive the offense on Brandsegg-Nygard’s line.
Todd McLellan shuffled his lines ahead of the third preseason game, introducing his projected top unit of Andrew Copp, Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. That move pushed Danielson into Viktor Arvidsson’s spot on the top power play group.
“For the majority of those guys, they’ve been able to play at least two, some have already played three games. That’s what we’ve tried to offer them, the best opportunity possible.” McLellan said.
Danielson has also shown up in the areas that don’t always make the highlights. His competitiveness and puck-moving ability have helped Detroit hold onto the offensive zone longer than they otherwise would have.
I agree. Pass from Mo is in his skates he takes it well. Pulls the puck out of a battle down low gets it to the point for a shot and then draws a penalty #LGRW https://t.co/n8on2cywdk pic.twitter.com/7a59wNbOMG
- Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) September 25, 2026
Detroit didn’t score on that power play, but the pressure Danielson helped create carried over. The Red Wings ended up scoring 12 seconds after the penalty expired, a small example of how his work can keep an attack alive.
For Danielson, sticking on the roster will be about more than staying healthy this season. It’ll come down to continuing to do the little things that turn possession time into actual results.
“If our forecheck is heavier and harder, we spend more time in the O-zone, less in ours.” Said McLellan at the beginning of training camp. “If we’re able to go back and win pucks along the boards and play in areas that aren’t comfortable and do it better than we have in the past, we spend less time in our zone.”
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