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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Danielson Settling in with Winterhawks Ahead of Home Debut

January 26, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Portland, Ore. - The #89 on his sweater may take some getting used to, but Nate Danielson's fitting right in as a Winterhawk.

After sporting #29 with the Brandon Wheat Kings for the last four seasons, Danielson was acquired by the Winterhawks in a huge trade on deadline day, Jan. 10. Fast forward two weeks, and four points in his first three games - including two points in a massive back-to-back in Prince George last weekend - have shown exactly why the Red Deer, Alta. native was a highly coveted asset in the player-swapping frenzy earlier this month.

"Nate was a player that we had looked at early in the last season. Even going back to last year when we played in Brandon, we thought he played a great game at that time. We talked about it over the summer and into the early season that he was one of the three or four players in the league that we thought if we could acquire at Christmas, that would really help our team out," said Winterhawks General Manager & Head Coach Mike Johnston.

The acquisition certainly came at a cost - two well-rounded and highly respected roster players in Nick Johnson and Rhett Ravndahl as well as a smattering of draft picks went the other way in the trade. And while Johnson and Ravndahl are certainly missed throughout the Winterhawks organization, Danielson's early showings have been plenty promising.

"In his first couple of games, he's really played well," said Johnston. "I look at him as a player like (former Winterhawks) Ryan Johansen, Cody Glass - a similar type of center to those guys who can play a 200-foot game. He's got dangerous speed, really good puck skills and he's very mature as a player as we're finding out."

Danielson finally joined the Winterhawks in Kelowna ahead of last Wednesday's game against the Rockets and quickly picked up where he left off with the Wheat Kings, scoring a highlight-reel go-ahead goal in the first period at Prospera Place.

"Obviously you want to make an impact right away. Really good pass by Cags there to find me - definitely felt nice to get that first one," he said.

The newcomer went on to record points in all three games of Portland's road trip, including the opening tally in last Saturday's key 2-1 win over B.C. Division-leading Prince George.

Understandably, leaving the only WHL team he'd known was difficult for the 19-year-old. Danielson was selected fifth overall in the 2019 WHL Draft by Brandon and went on to star as a two-time captain for the Wheat Kings. Last season's career-best 78 points in 68 games made him a top-10 pick once again as Danielson was selected ninth overall by the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft in Nashville, Tenn. In total, he left Brandon with an incredible 176 points in 171 WHL games.

But despite the emotions of deadline day, Danielson was excited for the opportunity with the Winterhawks, who led the league in goals scored even before adding his talent to their lineup.

"It was a sad day, I was in Brandon for the last five years," said Danielson. "So it was sad to say goodbye to everyone there, all my friends, the staff and everyone. But at the same time, I was super excited to come here. We've got a really good team here, so I was looking forward to getting here. The past week or so, it's been awesome, just looking forward to keeping it going."

The trade materialized after Danielson's return from the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he recorded one goal and two assists in five games with Team Canada. He rejoined the Wheat Kings' lineup with an inkling that he might be on the move, even if he wasn't sure where he'd be headed or when it would happen.

As the trade deadline rolled around, Danielson got word of the deal and anticipation began to build. Familiarity with a handful of fellow Alberta natives in Portland like Josh Davies and Marcus Nguyen helped ease the transition.

"My agent talked with (Brandon) quite a bit and kind of informed me that it was a possibility, so it wasn't too out of the blue and I kind of had an idea come the deadline that it definitely could happen. When I got told it was Portland, I was really excited about it. I knew a couple of guys here, so they texted me right away and it was nice to connect with them."

Expected to make his home debut this Sunday, Danielson notes the team's depth as its greatest strength. NHL-drafted players, savvy veterans and promising youngsters have the Winterhawks among the WHL's top teams through the first two-thirds of the season.

"I think just top to bottom we have a super competitive team," said Danielson. "We play with a lot of pace. I think all of our lines can score, all three D pairings can defend as well as contribute offensively and we've got good goalies in net. So just overall, we're a really deep team, we play the right way and we're coached very well."

Debuting on the road in Kelowna and hitting the highway immediately afforded Danielson and his teammates the opportunity to get to know one another as they spent long hours on the bus - especially during the lengthy trek up to Prince George.

"It was nice to join on the road because then you're staying with each other, eating with each other every meal and you're on the bus for quite a while to get to know the guys," said Danielson. "So that was nice, and then just getting back here and seeing the rink, getting set at the billets and everything was really nice too."

Now, after settling in at the VMC and around the Rose City he's looking ahead to the rest of the season with the Winterhawks - even if he's still finding his way around town.

"(I don't know) the city as much, but you just look at the history of the organization, they've had so many good players, won the league multiple times and the Memorial Cup," said Danielson.

"So obviously it's just a really good organization and I'm just excited to be part of it."

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