Danny Nelson Models Game After Brock Nelson

Despite sharing a last name and a home state, there's no relation between Danny Nelson, the Islanders second-round pick (49th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, and Brock Nelson.

That said, the newest Nelson said he models his game after the Islanders all-star.

"Brock Nelson is a guy that I really tried to model after," Danny Nelson said. "He's a big guy that gets to the front of the net and scores a lot of goals from there. He's also responsible on the back end, so he's kind of one the guys that I watch."

That sounds like the scouting reporting on Danny Nelson, a big-bodied left-shooting center, officially listed at 6'3, 212 lbs. He put up 17 points (8G, 9A) in 23 games with the USNTDP Juniors in the USHL, as well as 46 points (20G, 26A) in 61 games with Team USA's U-18 team. The Maple Grove, MN, native also had seven points (4G, 3A) in seven games with Team USA at the 2023 IIHF World Junior U-18 Championship, winning a gold medal.

The offensive output accompanies a defensively responsible approach to the game, one partially born out of playing his last year in high school as a defenseman.

"I felt like it gave me a great perspective being able to kind of see both sides of the ice and see that see the game in a different way," Nelson said. "I thought helped me playing center in the d-zone and also in the o-zone with knowing areas to get open and that kind of thing."

The detour to defense was just a one-year proposition, and one he said he did because "the team needed it at the time," as Nelson has played primarily as a forward in his hockey life.

Nelson is committed to the University of Notre Dame, where he'll play with his brother Henry this upcoming season. The 17-year-old was well aware that Islanders captain Anders Lee is a Notre Dame alumnus and received a call from Lee welcoming him to the team.

"I don't know any of [the Islanders] but I'm looking forward to getting to meet them," Nelson said. "Especially Anders Lee who obviously went to Notre Dame and hopefully I'll see him back at pro camp this year get to meet him and compete against him as well."

Nelson had an inkling he was on the Islanders radar after some good conversations at the NHL Combine. The feeling of being drafted and wearing an Islanders jersey was still sinking when greeting reporters at Bridgestone Arena.

"It's honestly surreal," Nelson said with a smile.