Danny, selected by the New York Islanders in the second round (No. 49) of the 2023\u00a0NHL Draft, was Notre Dame’s captain as a junior last season. Henry is a rising senior in the program.<\/p>\n
“I definitely think Sammy is a mix of both me and Henry, from the way that he plays to how he is off the ice,” Danny said.<\/p>\n
For Sammy, a right-shot center who missed being eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft by four days with a Sept. 19, 2008, birthday, the move is both a family story and a scouting story. He is not simply following his brothers to Notre Dame. He’s entering his draft year trying to show NHL teams he can become his own player while standing beside two people who helped shape him.<\/p>\n
“At the national team, I did three years in two, so I could play with my brothers for potentially one year, and they both stayed,” Sammy said. “I think that would be an awesome experience for me going to college this year.”<\/p>\n
It’s a big season for Nelson after finishing second on the NTDP U-18 team with 54 points (27 goals, 27 assists) and five game-winning goals in 58 games. He received an A rating on NHL Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch list for the 2027 draft.<\/p>\n
He’s attending the World Junior Summer Showcase this week with an opportunity to establish himself as a candidate to play for the United States at the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship. Making the roster would put him on one of the sport’s biggest stages for his age group, with NHL decision-makers watching closely and national pride attached to every shift.<\/p>\n
His combination of size, skating, shot, compete, and center-ice habits have made him one of the more intriguing options among draft-eligible players at the Showcase.<\/p>\n