He is the top player for the Portland Winterhawks and the reason they made the WHL playoffs. He played for a bad team(Brandon Wheat Kings) where he prioritized his defensive responsibillites over his offensive stats.
What people forget on this thread is that Nate Danielson played so well in the NHL preseason that he nearly made the Detroit Redwings as a rookie and ended up being the last cut showing his overall ability in four NHL exhibitions, including a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins that well encapsulated his overall performance.
Danielson returned to the WHL and was a point-per-game player with the struggling Brandon Wheat Kings, before getting traded to Portland for a boatload of assets. After the trade Danielson had 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 28 regular season games and has 22 points (16 goals, 6 assists), in 16 playoff games for the Winterhawks.
In the conference final, Danielson dominated against the Prince George Cougars with 11 points in six games. He also drew all the tough assignment and played big minutes throughout the series. In the series clinching game Danielson played 30:13 and scored in a 2-1 overtime victory.
Last year's #1 draft pick Connor Bedard calls him the toughest player he has played against in the juniors.
Axel Sandin-Pelikka should also be in the top 10 just like Danielson considering he was just named best defenceman (2024 Börje Salming Trophy) in the SHL as a 19 y.o.
Sandin-Pellikka helped Skellefteå AIK win an SHL championship in 2024, tallying seven points (2-5-7) in 14 postseason contests. He also registered five points (3-2-5), a plus-four rating and six penalty minutes in 10 Champions Hockey League games as Skellefteå AIK reached the final of the competition.
On the international stage, Sandin-Pellikka won a silver medal with Sweden at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship and was selected as the tournament’s best defenseman after recording six points (2-4-6) and four penalty minutes in seven games.
In eliteprospects 2023 NHL redraft last February 2024, ASP was rated #9 and that was before he was named SHL best defenceman.
User submitted ranking at Eliteprospects.com - 2023 NHL Redraft Top 10 Ranking
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