Danielson moves up NHL draft rankings thanks to two-way tenacity

No one had an answer for Regina Pats phenom Connor Bedard in the Western Hockey League this season, but maybe Brandon Wheat Kings centre Nate Danielson came closest. 

"He was probably the guy that maybe gave me the hardest game," Bedard, who scored 71 goals and produced 143 points in 57 games, told the Draft Class podcast during the NHL scouting combine. "He's so fast, so skilled. If you turn it over or something, he's going to go down and do something. He's a great player."

That's high praise from the presumptive first overall pick in Wednesday's draft.

"It's pretty cool," Danielson agreed. "He's a pretty exceptional player. It's nice to hear that recognition from a guy of his stature."

Danielson, who stands 6-foot-2, 186 pounds, led the Wheat Kings with 33 goals and 78 points despite facing the tough match-ups every night. His success this season was no accident. 

"His 200-foot game improved so much over this past year," observed Wheat Kings goalie Carson Bjarnason. "It's something he was telling me he wanted to work on. Me and him have a friendly competition in practice, you know, we're the first one on and last one off and it's something he definitely worked on."

The hard work paid off. Danielson rose from No. 13 to No. 7 on NHL Central Scouting's final list of North American skaters. TSN director of scouting Craig Button has the Red Deer, Alta. native going to the Calgary Flames 16th overall in his final mock draft. 

During a conversation with TSN, Danielson reflected on his battles against Bedard while also highlighting the offensive strides he made this season. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.  

TSN: What was your mindset when you faced Bedard? 

Danielson: He's a very good player. He's going to do what he does out there so just stick to my game and key in on him a little bit. Just play him as hard as I can. 

TSN: What is your game? 

Danielson: I'm a skilled, 200-foot centre. I play well defensively and I'm very responsible in my own end. My skating is probably one of my best attributes. Offensively, I'm creative and skilled. 

TSN: Is there anything, in particular, you have to focus on or emphasize with your game when you face Bedard? 

Danielson: Not really. It's just playing harder on him and trying to have a good stick and being physical with him. It's just little things like that.

TSN: What makes you a strong defensive player?

Danielson: It's sort of just been how I've been and played my entire life. I've always liked to play against the best players on the other team and enjoyed playing hard against them and trying to shut them down. It's something I've always focused on and something that's really helped me going up levels. 

TSN: How did you become such a good skater at such a young age? 

Danielson: It's something my dad always helped me with. We always did power skating when I was younger so credit to him for making sure that was something I worked on when I was young. As I grew up, it's always a key focus in the summer to do a lot of sessions with skating coaches. 

TSN: Who is your NHL role model?

Danielson: My role model growing up would've been Sidney Crosby. I mean, just being a Canadian kid and watching the Olympics in Vancouver, he's probably the role model for a lot of kids around my age. 

TSN: Who do you like watching now? 

Danielson: There's a couple guys I like to watch and kind of play like. They are Dylan Cozens and Nick Suzuki, who are two skilled, 200-foot centres. Both skate well and are responsible defensively as well as very skilled offensively. I like to watch them and pick different things from their game. 

TSN: What did you do well down the stretch this season to rise up draft rankings? 

Danielson: Offensively I started to turn it on a little more. I just got more confidence as the year went on. My game just continued to improve from the start of the year to the middle to the end. 

TSN: When did you start doing better offensively? 

Danielson: Around November and December was when I really started to turn it on a bit more and the puck just started to find the back of the net more. When you get on a roll it's kind of tough to get off it so I kind of kept that going. 

TSN: Was there a specific turning point? 

Danielson: Not really a specific moment. If you're on a slide or anything like that, it's just putting a couple in that just gets that confidence back and that feeling back.

TSN: How did you feel about your production this season? 

Danielson: I was pretty happy with it. Overall, looking at the year, I think I created lots of opportunities and chances for our group. Looking at points, I think it was pretty good. I was happy with how my year went. 

TSN: Any time you miss the playoffs, it's tough, but I imagine it's harder when you're the co-captain of the team. How did you handle the adversity this season? 

Danielson: It was difficult. It's never fun missing the playoffs. That was a goal coming into the year. It's something we can all learn from going into next year. It's a lesson for all of us. It was difficult and frustrating at times, but it's something you got to put away. You got to keep working your hardest to try and help the team win.

TSN: What do you like about the leadership role? 

Danielson: It's just sort of been who I am ever since I was young. That's just a credit to my parents and how they brought me up and raised me. I'm someone who likes to drag people along and  help others out and try to improve their games. I guess that's just who I am. 

TSN: What are you working on this summer? 

Danielson: Overall strength. Just trying to get bigger and strong. Quickness is also something I'm really keying in on. So, my first three strides and becoming more explosive and quicker ... Being able to get to full speed a little bit quicker and being more explosive out of turns and things like that will just help me that much more. 

TSN: The NHL has asked prospects what song they want to play when they're picked at the draft. What did you request? 

Danielson: Being in Nashville, I picked a couple country songs. I picked 'Last Drive Down Main' by Morgan Wallen and 'This is How We Roll.' Those are my two. 

TSN: Are you a big country fan?

Danielson: I'm a big fan. On the way to the gym and on the way home that's what I listen to and with the draft being Nashville especially I knew I had to go that way. 

TSN: Any favourite memory of watching the draft growing up? 

Danielson: I remember watching Ryan Nugent-Hopkins get drafted. He played in Red Deer. I was a big Rebels fan and I always watched him so that was a pretty cool. I'm also an Edmonton Oilers fan so I was pumped for that one.

TSN: Now it's your turn. What do you think about what you've accomplished so far? 

Danielson: Looking forward to the draft, it's been a goal of mine that I've been chasing for a long time. It's something I never really thought would come to fruition when I was younger and now actually being here and being in a place to be drafted, I'm super excited. It will a surreal moment for me and my family to finally get to hear my name called and be a part of an NHL Club.