2024 WHL Championship Player to Watch- Nate Danielson, Portland Winterhawks
Portland, Ore.- After joining the Portland Winterhawks in January after the 2024 WHL Trade Deadline, Nate Danielson isn’t just the new kid on the block for the Portland Winterhawks.
He’s a key contributor in the team’s first trip to the WHL Championship Series since 2014.
“They’ve welcomed me with open arms,” Danielson said. “I’ve got to know a lot of guys really, really good now. We’re four wins away now and we’ve put a lot of work in this year.”
The Detroit Red Wings prospect leads the Winterhawks in postseason scoring with 21 points (five goals, 16 assists, 21 points) in 14 games.
Danielson, a 6-foot-2, 188-pound centreman, was top dog among all WHL skaters in the Conference Championships with two goals and nine assists for 11 points and a +7 rating in six games against the Prince George Cougars.
He’s registered two or more points in seven of 14 postseason contests, including three straight games against the Cougars where he tallied three points or more.
THAT PUCK'S IN THE NET!
Nate Danielson opens the scoring in Game 6!#WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/fSyiWTUz0i
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) May 7, 2024
Winterhawks General Manager and Head Coach Mike Johnston- who was recently named the U.S. Division WHL Coach and Executive of the Year- says Danielson is just scratching the surface with a long on-ice career ahead of him.
“We probably had 15 to 20 conversations with Brandon on him because he was the guy we really wanted,” Johnston said of the blockbuster deal that brought Danielson west. “What has he meant to our group? Great leadership in the room, leadership on the ice. Good two-way centre. I just like his mature game and how he handles things both on and off the ice. He’s a guy that I know will be a longtime pro and a real good pick by Detroit.”
The Red Wings selected Danielson with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
This marks Danielson’s deepest run in the WHL postseason, having previously made the second round with Brandon in the 2022 playoffs.
He got to know Moose Jaw stars Denton Mateychuk, Brayden Yager and Jagger Firkus as members of Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Swe..
“We’re against each other now,” Danielson smiled. “No friends anymore.”
The Winterhawks will host the Warriors for the first two games of the 2024 WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien, beginning on Friday, May 10 at 7:00 p.m. PST.
The series will shift to Moose Jaw for Games 3-5.
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