Nate Danielson, Todd McLellan Morning Skate Media | Nov. 13, 2025

Nate Danielson, Todd McLellan Morning Skate Media | Nov. 13, 2025

the mo the thing that’s most challenging is just um execution. I mean I feel like it’s kind of the fine line of um like here if you make a mistake it’s probably going to be capitalized on and put in the back of your net where um NH might not be. So I think just kind of fine line with that and um but yeah I mean I think it was just uh it’s pretty easy to come since uh have a good training camp and do all the same stuff down in GR. So, have you been relying on advice from some of the veterans on the team that were once in your shoes in Grand Rapids like like a player like? Yeah, for sure. I mean, they’re all they’re all super good about it and um everyone’s been super helpful with me and um making the transition easy. Danny, can you talk about the culture that’s going on in Grand Rapids right now? Obviously, you’ve been a part of that team for a little bit here, but what about the in the room helped make that group so successful? Yeah, they got a good group down there. Um we had uh we had a lot of good guys and I feel like just kind of ever since the start of the year we kind of just clicked on there and came together as a group and um just kind of got hot right at the start of the year and um it was it was a lot of fun. It’s a quite testament to everybody considering how many of your guys they probably expected down there. Yeah, sure. I think it’s kind of like just that next line up and um yeah, I mean I think there’s probably a couple guys they thought they might have started with down there but um I mean everyone stepped up and um it’s been fun down there. Just your play. Yeah, it definitely helps. I mean, um I mean I think just getting play more and uh getting more puck touches definitely helps and um just the the belief they have in me definitely helps my confidence. How productive were these last two practice days for you guys and just for this group as you look into tonight? Yeah, I mean they were good. Uh I think kind of just a reset from uh from Sunday and um had a hard practice on Tuesday and then a good one again yesterday. So um I think everyone’s ready to go tonight. terms of chemistry with you and Casper. Just how much is there and what about that works for you? Yeah, I think we got some good chemistry. I mean, um we’re pretty good friends off the ice, so uh it’s easy to talk about different things and um just get to know each other and what we like to do and um that translates to the ice. Thanks, Danny. Good morning, Todd. uh is Nate Danielson just his his his poise with the puck, is that one of the things that that stands out about him? And how much can that help a guy uh with his transition to the NHL where the game just speeds up? Um well, he does have poise with the puck. I I’m still getting to know this player. Remember, he I’ve only seen him for what, five or six days of training camp, really, maybe seven. Um so I’m still getting to know him. Um, you know, my time around him, he has shown poise with the puck. He’s got a pretty good sense of what’s happening around him. Um, obviously he’s got some good offensive tools. He’s had, you know, in junior at least and transferring it to pro, he’s he’s got those. So, um, I think in his transition from the American League to here, um, it’ll take a little bit of an adjustment. It’s a different game. Uh, but the poise will help him. Ted, where do you think Giby’s game is at right now? It seems like there’s been some peaks and valleys or whatnot or what do you think? Well, the the goalenders usually are are they’re often a direct reflection of where the team’s games at. So, it kind of it es and flows and um you know, Gibby is is uh he he’s a competitor and when he competes and and and gets things done um he can drag us out of things, too. So, um he’ll get a good opportunity tonight to play against his old team and I’m sure he’s going to want to perform well. You just talked in that question about Nate, you were talking about the adjustment from the AHL to the NHL. When you look at the two leagues, what are the biggest differences? you said it’s a different game. What are the things that are the between the AHL and the NHL when it comes to Well, the the the upper end talent level at the NHL is is way higher. Um, you know, the the top 100, 200 players in the NHL are are much more skilled or talented. And that’s this isn’t a disrespect to the guys that are working their butts off down there, but but it is just higher skill level. So plays uh that are that are going to happen up here, skill plays are going to happen more often. They’re going to happen faster and they’re going to happen with with individuals that have a lot more confidence. Um so that’s that’s one of the battles that you’re going to face. Sometimes it’s easier to play up here because it tends to feel a little more organized. I’m sure players have told you that before. Um you know, so that that can be a positive for for an individual coming up. um the goalenders should be uh at a much well not a much higher level but at a more experienced higher uh level than what you see down there but but that’s why it’s a development league. They’re they’re all working their way up here. Um, I would imagine that, you know, a lot of these players that are playing in the game tonight, all 40 of them that are going to dress, I bet you 30 of them have come through the American League or at least uh been around it for a while and um they eventually get here and get confident. When it comes to the adjustment, is it something where because I imagine this is twofold. You talk about those top players and being able to the players take advantage of mistakes more and everything like that. is so does when a guy’s making the jump from the AHL to the NHL, is it more of you’re going to get burned if you make the mistake here or is it more you have to take advantage of your opportunity here that guys struggle with when they’re making? Well, players will approach it two different ways. The if they come up and play safe and there’s fear of of error, usually that’s when it happens. Um, they’re here for a reason. they they have a skill set, they play a certain type of game. If they stay within their own skin and play the way they play, um then we should be happy with them and and continue to work with them. If they start to to get outside their skin, whether it’s too much or not enough, well, then we, you know, we ask ourselves, are they ready? Um can they change? Can are they willing to work on it or is this a one-off night? But um that’s how I see it. You’ve already played the Ducks once this season. It wasn’t that long ago. What was the biggest takeaway that you had from that game and what would you like to see most be different about tonight? Well, the result that’s pretty easy, but um no, they they are uh they’re pretty dynamic team. Um they’re they’re young superstars have really evolved. You take Carlson and Gochce and those type of players, they’re playing at a high a high level and they’re very confident right now. um you know they got to be at the top of the the offensive production in in the National Hockey League and uh they’re all feeling good about their game. So they they could skate, they have skill, they have some size and they’re confident and that’s probably why they’re 11 4 and one or whatever they are. And then obviously you coached against Joel Quinnville plenty during your time in the West. Would you attribute a good portion of Anaheim success this season to what he’s brought to the team? Um I would say yes. Um, but I would include the rest of his staff and uh I would also include the Ducks, you know, Beakers management team. They filled some holes and um brought in some complimentary players that that um you know, maybe others thought were done. Um you know, old teams or something like that and they they’ve really come in and uh played well for their team. So, um, yeah, Joel, but but a lot of other people as well with this mini break here, the two days, two full days there. Did you get things accomplished? What are you hoping you accomplished practice timewise? Well, we we picked certain parts of the game, certain areas that we felt needed to be addressed and uh we went after it. And uh you know when we drove home yesterday after the the second practice as a staff we were satisfied with uh the effort the players put in and what we got done. Uh but now we have to take the test and you know the test is going to be ongoing. It’s just not going to be the first period or three periods tonight. It’s it’s going to be ongoing and some of the things that we worked on we have to see every night. We can’t just see uh improvement when we focus on one thing. Once we focus on it, we practice it, it goes into the bank. We should see improvement throughout the whole year and we might have to go back and and revisit it, but um we want to see, you know, proverbial train moving forward, if you will. Todd, in regards to the break that you guys have had, a lot of talk about the condensed schedule this season and and a lot of teams are experiencing a lot of injuries. Yeah. Um is is this looking ahead to next year with uh less exhibition games? Is this a new reality in the NHL that we’re going to see more injuries in October and November? Well, I don’t know if I can if I can answer that. I think the theory behind it makes sense because you uh you know, we played eight exhibition games. Uh we’re playing games 17, I believe, tonight. We’re 25 games in and we’ve been together for you know what, a month and a half. That’s that’s a lot. Um it’s funny how you talk about an extended break. It’s really only been two days for us. We we had an off day on Monday and we had two practice days and and in today’s world that’s that’s a break. Um we don’t get that again until Christmas. Um, so teams have to be able to get better through video, uh, meetings, um, instruction without without competing all the time because you have to give the players, um, you know, they have to breathe a little bit. Um, yet when you’re not real good at something, you need to practice. So, there’s a a catch 22 there. And um we chose to to use the time um firmly uh the last two days, but how many more day how many more long breaks are we going to get? Not very many. So we’ve got to balance it. Is that video as effective or you’re what have you learned over the years? The video is the video as effective as the actual on ice practice or can it be? Um I think everybody learns differently. Um, you know, some can learn visually, some learn through their ears. Uh, but there’s no better way to to augment it than than see it, hear it, and then go do it. Um, you know, so you put all you try and get as many senses involved as you possibly can. And uh then you get some repetition. With video, you’re showing them once or twice and then you move on. On the ice, you get you get reps and practice and it’s never the same thing twice. You’re doing it tired. You’re doing it fresh. uh you’re doing it on good ice, bad ice. None of that happens in video. Um you know, so video will will is a great teaching tool, but the real thing is the best. Okay.

Nate Danielson and Todd McLellan speak with the media following Detroit’s morning skate on Thursday Nov. 13, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena.