Three days after the Detroit Red Wings sent him down, Nate Danielson made the most of his first game back in the AHL. The 22-year-old center recorded three assists in the Grand Rapids Griffins’ 6-3 win over the Rockford IceHogs on Wednesday morning, his first game of the season with Grand Rapids.
Two of those assists went to John Leonard, who scored in all three periods for the hat trick in his own first game back with the Griffins. The other set up Axel Sandin-Pellikka’s power-play goal in the first period. Carter Bear added two goals and two assists, and Grand Rapids moved to 11-2-1-1 with 24 points.
Nov 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Nate Danielson (29) skates with the puck in the second period against the Vegas Golden Knights at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
Why the Red Wings sent Nate Danielson down
Danielson played 13 games with Detroit this season without scoring a goal, finishing that stretch with two assists and a minus-5 rating. He was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s 4-0 loss at Colorado, and the Red Wings reassigned him to Grand Rapids on Sunday along with goaltender Michal Postava and Leonard.
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Red Wings coach Todd McLellan, speaking to reporters in comments published by Detroit Hockey Now, said the 2023 first-rounder is getting closer to what the staff wants. “I guess that energy gauge is starting to come closer to the middle, I think, for Danny,” McLellan said. “If he can push it over the top, I think he’s got all the tools.”
What Nate Danielson said after the win
Wednesday’s game was a School Day matinee at Van Andel Arena, the morning start the Griffins play in front of busloads of students. Grand Rapids has now won four of those in a row. Danielson spoke with reporters afterward and said he enjoys the early puck drop, in a video posted by the Hockeytown West Podcast: “I think they’re fun, it kind of reminds you of when you were a kid you just get up and go play.”
What it takes to earn the call back up
Danielson was the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft and has played 41 NHL games in his career. A longer look in Grand Rapids may do more for him than the in-and-out role he had in Detroit. The Griffins are 11-2-1-1. The Red Wings have lost four straight and sit at 7-9-3 after Tuesday’s 3-2 loss in St. Louis.
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The truth is that he might be in a better spot for his development on a winning team than on a Detroit team that keeps losing. If he keeps filling the scoresheet the way he did Wednesday, the trip back up will not take long.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
