Madden Daneault, Digi Mart USA News: Canada White’s win over Sweden featured a moment that left fans and staff stunned. Late in a shift, 2028 NHL Draft prospect Maddox Schultz stopped a flying puck and fed Madden Daneault for a one-timer, which Canada White scored in an eventual 7-2 win.
The goal was only Canada White’s sixth of the game, but the play showcased two elite talents in front of a crowded junior hockey rink in Oakville, Ontario. It was Daneault’s third point of the night and his fourth through two preliminary round games.
He has seven points through three games at the tournament.
Daneault has been recognized as the top 2011-born prospect in Canada for several years. He is a two-time John Reid Memorial Tournament MVP, one of the largest tournaments in Western Canada.
Last season in AAA, he recorded 11 points in a 19-0 victory for the Red Deer Chiefs U-15 squad.
Daneault finished his AAA season with 65 goals and 149 points. No other player reached the 90-point threshold, and on goals alone he would have ranked tied for sixth in league scoring.
Daneault was the near-consensus No. 1 prospect for the 2026 WHL Draft, and the Kelowna Rockets selected him first overall. The league granted him a special exception to play up to 34 games in the WHL as a 15-year-old, a distinction also given to Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue in Regina last year.
Recently drafted players are typically limited to 10 games, but Hockey Canada can allow up to half a season in certain high-profile cases.
Through eight games, Daneault has 10 points, a 1.25 point-per-game average. That ranks second all-time among U-16 players behind Connor Bedard, who averaged 1.87 points per game through 15 games in 2021.
Daneault also plays with the Red Deer Chiefs U-18 program. He said juggling the two leagues has been demanding but enjoyable.
“Obviously it’s a lot going back and forth between Kelowna and Red Deer, but it’s fun,” Daneault said earlier this week. “Everyone supports me.
My family supports me the most. And then the management and coaching staff down in Kelowna support me.
I have all my friends back home, so it’s an easy transition to come back and just see all my buddies again.”
Schultz praised his linemate, saying, “The kid’s got a shot on him and seems to be always in the right spot. He’s so smart all over the ice and gets in the right areas.”
Daneault was drafted by the Rockets during a Memorial Cup season. Kelowna lost that tournament, but Daneault credited the team’s veteran leaders for helping him adjust to tougher competition.
“All the vets [in Kelowna], they take me in so well,” he said. “They teach me new things, just teach me how to make plays faster, think faster, and be better with my stick.
It’s fun being the youngest [on the team], I’ve been the youngest my whole life.”
Scouts describe Daneault as a high-IQ forward who is always looking to make a play with the puck. Some consider him one of the most confident 15-year-olds in recent memory.
He is particularly dangerous through the middle of the ice and willing to take contact along the boards. He is not yet physically large and needs to get stronger, which is understandable for his age.
Scouts also praise his skating, playmaking and passing accuracy. Even when playing with older linemates in Kelowna, teammates look to him to move the puck into the zone.
One scout said, “The upside here is absolutely insane. The skating is elite.
His puck work is unbelievable. He thinks the game at such a mature rate already.
He’s as close to perfect as you’ll find at this age.”
Expectations should remain realistic for a player who is still far from the NHL Draft. Even so, Daneault’s play has made him one of the most closely watched prospects in junior hockey.
