Danielson Needs Red Wings Rookie Tourney Action

It isn't often that you see a guy with 28 NHL games on his resume playing in a rookie tournament, but for Detroit Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson , it's more about the games he didn't play.

A hip injury shut him down for most of the second half of last season. Game action of any kind is vital as he seeks to get back up to speed so he can make a run at an NHL job this fall.

"He needs this," stressed Dan Watson . The Grand Rapids Griffins coach is running the Detroit bench during the Red Wings' NHL Rookie Tournament.

The event started Saturday at the Belfor Training Center. Detroit rallied from a 3-1 third-period deficit to beat the Dallas Stars rookies 4-3 in a shootout.

"Some of these guys that have been around for a couple of years, they don't want to play in these tournaments for different reasons, but he needs this," Watson said.

"It's been seven months, I think, since his last competitive game, and we want to give him the best chance heading into camp.

"And so I think this is a great warm-up for him. A great opportunity to compete against other people other than just, you know, like summer hockey skates. So I think this is big for him, and I thought he looked good tonight."

Danielson collected an assist on the night and fired six shots on goal. It was his first real game action since February 18 of last season. He played that night for the Griffins in an AHL game against the Cleveland Monsters.

During his stint with the Red Wings, Danielson displayed tenacity and the ability to be a responsible, 200-foot player. What was alarmingly lacking from his game was any semblance of offensive upside. He accounted for only two goals and five assists.

"I'd say probably the base thing is just like the execution, probably the pacing," Danielson said of the challenges of his first NHL experience. "And then, I feel like up there, if you make a mistake, it's going to get capitalized on."

Even without the uncertainty surrounding the trade request of Red Wings first-line center Dylan Larkin , the need for offense down the middle is desperate. Veterans Andrew Copp , JT Compher, and Michael Rasmussen certainly aren't going to be consistent point producers. Is Marco Kasper a center or a winger? Is he the 19-goal guy of his rookie season, or the nine-goal guy of last season?

If Danielson could fill that void, it would make his selection at ninth overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft look like a wise choice.

"I don't know if there's one specific thing that I'm missing,' Danielson said. "I feel like just kind of a bunch of things.

"I mean, just get better: be a better skater, get stronger, get bigger, get faster. I think having that experience will help me next time I go."