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Nate Danielson's WHL coach very upset after trade

His now-former bench boss didn't shy away from expressing his regret.

HockeyFeed

HockeyFeed

Highly touted Detroit Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson, whom they selected with the 1st round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, was traded from the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings to the Portland Winterhawks; in return, they acquired forward Nicholas Johnson, 2005-born defenseman Rhett Ravndahl, a first-round pick in 2025, a first-round pick in 2027, and a fifth-round pick in 2026.

According to Wheat Kings head coach and general manager Marty Murry, this was the hardest thing that he's had to do since taking over his current positions. 

“It’s honestly the hardest day of my career since being in this position,” said Murray. “To have to move a player like Nate is very, very difficult. For us, we felt like it was an opportunity for us to continue to push, that’s going to be a really important message to our guys that we feel we have the troops to be a playoff team and keep growing and make strides. At the same time, it’s hard to move a player like Nate.

But long after Danielson eventually embarks on his NHL career with the Red Wings, Murray believes that Danielson is deserving of a spot on the team's wall of fame. 

“He deserves a spot on the wall of fame,” said Murray. “He’s one of the highest draft picks in Wheat Kings history, he’s an unbelievable hockey player as we all know, and more importantly he’s a great human being. He wore the jersey with pride.”

Meanwhile, Johnson arrives in Brandon from Portland with an impressive +17 rating.

“He’s a guy that’s just kind of scratching the surface,” Murray said. “He’s a guy that plays kind of a power forward type game and has the ability to put up some numbers. We’re looking forward to getting him into the lineup.”

So far this season, the Red Wings draft pick has scored 12 goals with 14 assists in 26 games played. 

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