How Red Wings prospects like Nate Danielson are progressing in the AHL with Grand Rapids

The Red Wings’ development model is a funnel. While their prospects follow the same paths as most other organizations—rounding out their game in their respective leagues before integrating into the AHL system—the pace at which they climb the ranks seems significantly slower. They sometimes spend an extra season developing before moving up to the main club and must compete with extra depth veteran players to earn their spots.

Marco Kasper was the last prospect to do so, but soon, a few others on this list could also make the transition.

Here’s a review of the play of a few Grand Rapids Griffins prospects so far this season.

Nate Danielson, C 

In November and December,  Nate Danielson’s playmaking game seemed to be maturing and his production increasing, but development is rarely linear. Just like many other prospects in their first professional steps, the center has had its ups and downs. Following his scoring streak, the center went through another cold stretch spanning multiple weeks. 

While going through that drought, His play away from the puck continued to be a strength. He supported teammates well in all three zones, offering them timely passing options, and his speed, reach, and stature made him a defensive asset for the Griffins. 

But his plays were too predictable. Lacking deception and anticipation, he cycled the puck and moved it to the point, instead of trying to reach open teammates in the middle. And he drew mostly straight lines through the neutral zone instead of manipulating defenders to create more space and better entries. His safer choices reduced his ability to create meaningful offence. 

Here are a few examples of more advanced passes that Danielson could have attempted. 

Some of those plays were difficult to execute. They required precise timing, anticipation, and deception. Danielson needed to scan the ice before receiving the puck and catch it in motion to draw defenders away and create passing lanes. Despite the higher degree of difficulty, these are the types of plays that top-six forwards routinely attempt. They also carried minimal risk, even if intercepted.

It’s possible that Danielson isn’t spotting the most advanced plays. That was our hypothesis in his draft year, but some of his early-season flashes give us reason for optimism.

As we wrote in our previous AHL Stock Watch, Danielson demonstrated that he could “read lanes, find the best plays, and execute passing plays instantly.” He may never reach Lucas Raymond’s level as a playmaker, but that aspect of his game should improve, as he possesses multiple high-level skills and can anticipate gaps in coverage.

In the AHL, he must find a balance between refining his two-way game and taking offensive risks. If he focuses solely on the defensive side, he may limit his long-term potential by not testing and pushing his limits. Over time, that could restrict his ability to live up to his ninth-overall selection.

The Red Wings can afford to be patient with Danielson’s development. Their approach has worked with similarly skilled prospects before, such as Simon Edvinsson and Kasper. The Austrian forward also endured a cold streak of his own in the AHL before evolving into a much more effective play-driver in the latter half of the season.

Danielson could follow a similar trajectory and position himself for a middle-six role with the Red Wings next season.

Carter Mazur, LW 

Bad luck seems to follow Carter Mazur. He only recently reintegrated the Griffins’ lineup after an injury kept him on the sidelines at the start of the season. His strong play then earned him an NHL debut, but he suffered another injury on his second NHL shift that likely ended his season. 

Mazur’s game features a strong blend of hard and soft skills. His motor stands out on most shifts—he can shake defenders, curl off the boards with the puck, and drive through the middle of the ice. He has a knack for finding space around defenders to receive passes and make plays. The puck moves quickly on and off his stick in traffic, but he can also hold and shield it, drawing in the opposition to create better offensive opportunities for his teammates.

While patience is necessary given Mazur’s injury history, the expectations for him as a soon-to-be 23-year-old differ from those for Danielson. With his intelligence and work ethic, he has the potential to carve out a role as a bottom-six, two-way forward in the Red Wings’ lineup. However, the sooner he pushes for an NHL role, the better—otherwise, he risks plateauing in the Red Wings’ system and becoming an in-betweener.

We’ll have a clearer sense of his long-term projection next season when he’s fully healthy.

Shai Buium, LD

When most hockey fans hear the name Buium, they think of Zeev, the Minnesota Wild’s twelfth-overall pick, but his brother Shai is almost as talented. The only difference between them is how developed their respective talents are. 

Like his brother, Shai can carry the puck up the ice and execute similar change-of-direction fakes at the blue line to beat defenders and attack the slot. His game features a high level of creativity—he moves the puck off the defensive-zone back wall to teammates in space, attacks gaps in coverage, and connects with teammates in high-danger areas.

His statistical profile reflects his playmaking tendencies, as it took him months to score his first goal of the season.

Defensively, Shai plays an aggressive game. He closes his gap early in the neutral zone, denying space and preventing entries. With his long reach and stature, he can also lean on opponents, box them out, and disrupt passing plays.

Despite being the older brother, Shai is still the rawer prospect. There’s a certain awkwardness to his game, and his skating mechanics will need improvement to keep up with and counter shiftier NHL attackers.

In the future, Shai could establish himself as a mainstay on the Red Wings’ blue line, playing a similar two-way role to Mason Lohrei in Boston.

William Wallinder, LD

After a few years of covering William Wallinder, all of his scouting reports are starting to blend together. The defenceman has retained the same strengths and weaknesses as he climbed the ranks, barely making any true adjustment to his style of play. 

That’s not a bad thing. Wallinder is following a slow, steady development path that could eventually lead to an NHL role. He’s staying true to his identity, playing within his limits, and steadily improving his game.

With his long, fluid strides, he disrupts rushes with well-timed pokechecks and precise angling techniques. His wide, speed-retaining pivots allow him to stay with opponents through the neutral zone and steer them to the outside. He also covers a lot of ice in the defensive zone—if he’s late on a rotation or too far from his man, a simple extension of his stick or a few quick strides is often enough to correct his positioning. While he primarily relies on his stick when defending, he has also learned to use his size to check and pin opponents along the boards.

Offensively, Wallinder keeps his game simple, reserving his more creative stickhandling and passing plays for the right moments—when he has more space or when opponents are especially vulnerable.

The highlight-reel plays may be rare, but Wallinder has the potential to develop into an effective, bottom-pairing shutdown defender for Detroit.