Adjustments part of process for Danielson in first full AHL season with Griffins

GRAND RAPIDS -- Forward prospect Nate Danielson can pinpoint exactly when during the 2024-25 season that he gained a greater understanding of what life on and off the ice in the American Hockey League would be like with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

“The first two weekends here this season, those were a bit of an eye-opener for me,” Danielson recently discussed with DetroitRedWings.com. “I played a couple of playoff games last year, but you really get into the league when you start travelling and everything. We had a road trip early on this season where I really felt like I started to find my game, play well and got comfortable with it all.”

Guided by that determination to grow and succeed, Danielson wrapped up his first full campaign in Grand Rapids with 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists) in 71 regular-season games as well as one goal across three 2025 Calder Cup Playoff contests.

“My confidence has grown over the year, and I just feel a lot more comfortable from the start of the year until now,” Danielson said. “Overall, as the year went on, my game grew.”

Each day with the Griffins, according to the 20-year-old forward, provided additional reps. Those reps created opportunities for more comfort in an environment that gradually became more familiar to Danielson.

“It’s a different game, from junior to this league,” Danielson said. “Just kind of getting comfortable and knowing when I can try things and when not to.”

Danielson prides himself on his 200-foot game and being a complete player, but it’s his good hockey IQ that really stands out when he talks about his development goals.

“Trying to be responsible, defensively as well as offensively,” Danielson said. “Figure out when you’re able to take chances to go for a rush or something like that. It’s about figuring out what works and just going from there.”

Danielson knows that there’s a lot that goes into becoming a better playmaker, hence why the former first-round pick (No. 9 overall) in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft tried to tap into as many team resources as possible throughout the season.

“We have a ton of great people in the organization, so being able to work on our skills and skating,” Danielson said. “Skating with [Red Wings Player Development Consultant Dwayne Blais] a lot of times before practice has really helped. Off the ice, the video work that we do with our coaches here and what we’ll do with [Red Wings Assistant Director of Player Development Dan Cleary]. Overall, working on the skills, skating and little tactics we do during the game has really helped me.”

And with the offseason to work on his game, Danielson is aiming to bring even more to the table in 2025-26.

“I’ll definitely go home for a little bit,” Danielson said about his summer plans. “I have a good gym that I work out at [in Red Deer, Alberta] and a good skating group. I’m sure I’ll come back to Michigan sometime in August and get ready for another Training Camp.”