Red Wings Need Nate Danielson to Become More Than a Prospect

After getting his first extended taste of the NHL last season, Detroit's former top 10 pick enters training camp with an opportunity and perhaps an expectation to prove he belongs for good.

Detroit Red Wings center Nate Danielson Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nate Danielson was once one of the shiny new pieces of the Yzerplan. Three years after being drafted ninth overall, the question isn't what he might become someday. It's whether he can help the Red Wings now.

Last season, Danielson played in 28 games while scoring two goals and finishing with seven points. It wasn't a breakout, but it gave the Red Wings their first meaningful look at him against NHL competition.

A 21-year-old center isn't expected to dominate immediately, but the Red Wings need internal development to begin translating into production on the parent club.

Danielson also had 15 points in only 18 AHL games for Grand Rapids last year. He scored three goals and 12 assists while being a plus seven. His season was interrupted by a lower-body injury in February. We aren't talking about a prospect who struggled his way through the AHL. There were signs he was beginning to figure things out before the injury.

Why This September Is Different

Detroit Red Wings center Nate Danielson Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Danielson isn't coming to camp just to make an impression anymore. He's already played NHL hockey.

According to Thomas Roth of DetroitRedWings.com, the prospect tournament starts this week with the Red Wings taking on the Dallas Stars on September 12, the Pittsburgh Penguins on September 13, and the Columbus Blue Jackets on September 15.

Danielson, who is on the prospect roster, should be one of the most NHL-experienced players there. Will he look like an NHL player playing against prospects?

Danielson doesn't need to dominate the scoresheet in the prospect tournament. At this stage of his development, domination might be better measured by how obvious it becomes that he's no longer just another prospect on the ice.

He is entering an interesting stage in his career where he's almost too accomplished to be treated like a normal prospect, but hasn't accomplished enough in the NHL to stop being one.

When the Red Wings drafted him, patience was easy because he was only 18. No one expected him to walk into the locker room and become an immediate top-six center. Three years later, patience hasn't disappeared, but expectations have changed.

Every successful organization eventually needs drafted players to outperform their experience level. You can't build exclusively through veterans, trades and free agency. That's especially important for the Red Wings because they've spent years accumulating prospects.

At some point, the pipeline has to become the roster. Danielson represents that transition. He isn't some sixth-round lottery ticket where reaching 100 NHL games would represent a huge organizational victory.

For the past few years, Danielson has been one of the players the Red Wings have been waiting on. This fall, he has his first real opportunity to make the waiting stop.