Nate
Danielson
C · DET · Balanced · Below average
- PAL
- 20
- WAR
- -0.3
- Value
- 34
- PTS
- 7
2025-26№ 528 / 615
Nate Danielson (Detroit Red Wings) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Nate Danielson
#29CPlays: Centre · 56% of faceoffs
Detroit Red Wings
HEIGHT : 188 cm · WEIGHT : 89 kg · SHOOTS : R
Born : September 26, 2004 · Red Deer, Canada
Drafted : 2023 · DET · round 1, pick #9
Contract : $950,000 · 2023-24 → 2027-28 · Entry-Level Contract · RFA · Signing bonus $95,000
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Detroit Red Wings | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 2025-26 | Detroit Red Wings | 28 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| NHL totals | 41 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 6 | |
Nate Danielson: our analysis
2025-26 season: 28 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 PTS, -7 +/-, 11:03 TOI. WAR -0.3 (528th of 615) · PAL 20, below average.
In 2025-26, Nate Danielson, 22, posts a PAL Rating of 20 out of 100 (below average), and his WAR of -0.3 ranks 528th among 615 regulars, in the bottom quarter.
His strengths: creation (66, above average) and power play (65, above average). On the other hand, shooting (26, below average) and defense (30, below average) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: power play (+0.1); his biggest cost: finishing (-2.1).
Contract-wise, his Value score of 34 (poor return) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Nate Danielson's story
Growing up in Red Deer, Nate Danielson reached major-junior hockey early, joining the Brandon Wheat Kings after the club selected him in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft. He turned professional through the traditional Canadian junior route, debuting in the WHL in the 2020–21 season and registering three goals and 12 assists in 24 games as a newcomer.
Danielson pushed his production upward in 2021–22, averaging better than a point per game with 23 goals and 34 assists in 53 outings, a mark that helped Brandon reach the postseason. The following year he wore the captain's letter and finished among the team leaders with 33 goals and 45 assists for 78 points, including a strong contribution on the power play. Across three WHL seasons he amassed 59 goals and 91 assists for 150 points in 145 games.
His junior résumé drew NHL attention and led to being picked ninth overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2023 draft. Detroit signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract on July 12, 2023. He carried that momentum into training camp and scored in his preseason debut on September 26, 2023, helping the Red Wings to a 4–3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In May 2024 the organization sent Danielson to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, and he made his professional debut in the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs. That playoff debut placed him among a small group of Griffins who debuted in the postseason a year after being drafted, joining names such as Jason Spezza and Dylan Larkin. Earlier in his WHL tenure he was traded on January 10, 2024 to the Portland Winterhawks in exchange for players Nick Johnson, Rhett Ravndahl and three draft picks.
Internationally, Danielson represented Canada at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, recording two goals and an assist in four contests and earning a bronze medal. He also played for Canada at the 2024 World Junior Championship, posting one goal and two assists in five games. On the ice, his profile is defined by consistent offensive creation, an ability to score and to contribute on the power play — traits that have carried him from junior captaincy into the professional ranks.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 10:52
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:27
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:03
- Pts/GP
- 0.15
- EV points
- 2
- Hits
- 14
- Blocks
- 3
- Takeaways
- 2
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 47.3 %
- Off. zone starts
- 25.4 %
- Faceoffs
- 46.4 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
Prospect value
Scout Report Center →Rank
43
among all 32 teams' prospects
Rating
97/ 100
percentile among prospects at his position
Potential
70/ 80
First line or top pair
Ceiling: 10.9 WAR from age 21 to 26
NHL probability
80 %
of playing 200 NHL games from age 21 to 26
Expected WAR, age 21-26
4.5
the most likely outcome
NHLe
31
NHL points over 82 games, from 2025-26 (AHL, 18 games)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
11between 2 and 21 (80% range)
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 9
- Games
- 44
So far: 2 pts in 13 games. The team has played 18 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.28 pts per game (last season: 0.25).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 23 %
72
Established NHL
- SK
- Skating
- 76
- Confidence 40 %
- ST
- Strength
- 79
- Confidence 28 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 62
- Confidence 50 %
- DU
- Durability
- 58
- Confidence 40 %
- CK
- Checking
- 68
- Confidence 28 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 79
- Confidence 15 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 74
- Confidence 28 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 77
- Confidence 23 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 75
- Confidence 23 %
- DF
- Defense
- 68
- Confidence 20 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 33
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating76
- Top speed (35 %)35.9 · 71
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)7.107 · 79
- Distance /60 (20 %)16.5 · 79
- Speed consistency (15 %)35.5 · 77
ST — Strength79
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)4.757 · 80
- Body mass (50 %)-0.218 · 75
EN — Endurance62
- Ice time per game (45 %)13.5 · 68
- Total ice time (20 %)306 · 35
- Shift length (15 %)43.9 · 70
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)12.4 · 68
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)2.158 · 71
DU — Durability58
- Share of games played (100 %)0.669 · 58
CK — Checking68
- Hits /60 (70 %)3.457 · 73
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)2.82 · 73
- Season volume (10 %)2.197 · 46
FG — Fighting79
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.923 · 79
DI — Discipline74
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)0.013 · 73
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.556 · 79
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.633 · 69
PA — Passing77
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.693 · 77
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.479 · 74
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)0.052 · 77
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)4.685 · 78
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.546 · 78
SC — Scoring75
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.714 · 72
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.82 · 77
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)-0.427 · 70
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)1.433 · 80
- xG per shot (10 %)0.083 · 76
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)12.5 · 77
DF — Defense68
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)-0.012 · 71
- Relative xG against (20 %)0.089 · 67
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.753 · 66
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.026 · 73
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-1.546 · 71
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)58.5 · 72
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)2.46 · 73
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience33
- Career regular-season games (65 %)47
- Career playoff games (25 %)0
- NHL seasons (10 %)24
OV — Overall72
- SC · Scoring (20 %)75
- PA · Passing (20 %)77
- DF · Defense (20 %)68
- SK · Skating (12 %)76
- EN · Endurance (8 %)62
- DI · Discipline (5 %)74
- ST · Strength (3 %)79
- CK · Checking (2 %)68
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
-0.3
wins above replacement
528 of 615
PAL Rating
20/ 100
Performance · Below average
373 of 476 at the position
Value Rating
34/ 100
Poor return
0.89 M$ · expected PAL 35
ProfileBalancedNeither end dominates
- Offense
- 39
- Defense
- 25
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 33
- Creation
- 66
- Shooting
- 26
- Possession
- 34
- Defense
- 30
- Discipline
- 38
- Power play
- 65
- Penalty kill
- 31
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
22/ 100
Below average
better than 22% of forwards, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
24/ 100
Below average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
33/ 100
Below average
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 329 of 424 forwards.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 18
- Shot selection
- 58
- Penalties drawn
- 16
- Puck management
- 56
Defense
- Takeaways
- 90
- Discipline
- 55
- Safe zone exits
- 2
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
-0.3
wins above replacement
-0.7 to 0.2 — 90% interval
528 of 615 forwards
-1.3 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- +0.1
- EV defense
- -0.2
- Power play
- +0.1
- Penalty kill
- 0.0
- Shooting
- -2.1
- Penalties
- 0.0
- Average → replacement
- +0.8
In goals.
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 121.3 km/h15th percentileleague avg. 130.1 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 35.0 km/h44th percentileleague avg. 35.2 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 3986th percentileleague avg. 21
- Offensive zone time
- 41.2 %42nd percentileleague avg. 43.1 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 40.1 km33rd percentileleague avg. 52.2 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 4.35 km43rd percentileleague avg. 4.52 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 40.9 %46th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
- Neutral zone time
- 19.2 %93rd percentileleague avg. 16.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 39.6 %51st percentileleague avg. 40.1 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 620th percentile | 024th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| High danger | 327th percentile | 034th percentile | 0.0 %10th percentile |
| Mid range | 010th percentile | 054th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Long range | 031st percentile | 092nd percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
VGK
STL
CHI
EDM
CGY
VAN
SJS
PHI
MTL
SEA
OTT
WPG
NYRNate Danielson: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Nate Danielson have in 2026-27?
Nate Danielson has 0 goals and 2 points (2 assists) in 13 games in 2026-27.
How old is Nate Danielson?
Nate Danielson is 22 years old: he was born on September 27, 2004.
How tall is Nate Danielson, and how much does he weigh?
Nate Danielson is 6'2" (188 cm) and weighs 196 lb (89 kg).
Where is Nate Danielson from?
Canada: Nate Danielson was born in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.
What team does Nate Danielson play for?
Nate Danielson plays for the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL, at C, wearing number 29.
Is Nate Danielson injured?
No: Nate Danielson is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Nate Danielson?
Nate Danielson produced -0.3 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 528th of 615 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 20 out of 100: below average for his position.
How much does Nate Danielson make?
Nate Danielson earns $887K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 34 out of 100 (poor return): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Nate Danielson's contract end?
Nate Danielson's contract runs through the 2027-28 season; he will then be a restricted free agent.
Is Nate Danielson overpaid?
Yes, his output falls short of what his salary should buy. His Value rating is 34 out of 100 (poor return), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Nate Danielson a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 528th of 615 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
How has Nate Danielson played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Nate Danielson has 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist).
What are Nate Danielson's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Nate Danielson has 41 games, 2 goals, 7 assists and 9 points. His best season: 2025-26, with 7 points in 28 games.
Where was Nate Danielson drafted?
Nate Danielson was drafted 9th overall (round 1) by Detroit Red Wings in 2023.
How does Nate Danielson perform in the playoffs?
Nate Danielson has not played in the NHL playoffs yet.
Which player is most similar to Nate Danielson?
Brad Lambert: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Brad Lambert's page →Is Nate Danielson a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 11 points in 2026-27, or 0.25 points per game.
What is Nate Danielson's nationality?
Nate Danielson is Canadian. Internationally: Canada — bronze medal at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics; represented Canada at the 2024 World Junior Championship (1 goal, 2 assists in 5 games).
What awards has Nate Danielson won?
Named to the WHL East Division Second All-Star Team (2022–23 season).
Where did Nate Danielson play before turning pro?
Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) — WHL debut in 2020–21; three seasons with the Wheat Kings (2020–21 to 2022–23) and played for them in 2023–24 before being traded on January 10, 2024 to the Portland Winterhawks (WHL)..
How many points is Nate Danielson projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 11 points in 44 games in 2026-27 (2 to 21 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Detroit Red Wings teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)