The Time is Now for Red Wings’ First Rounder
· Yahoo Sports
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Oct 13, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Red Wings right wing Michael Brandsegg Nygard (28) celebrates the victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs with goalie Cameron Talbot (39) at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gerry Angus-Imagn ImagesEditor’s Note: This is the first installment of a Detroit Hockey Now series assessing the Detroit Red Wings’ prospects’ path to the NHL. The emphasis will be on what their chances are of playing regularly in the NHL and when we can expect to see them wearing the Winged Wheel
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
Position: Right Wing
NHL Draft status: 15th, 2024
Hgt./Wgt: 6-1, 210 pounds
Age/Experience: 20, 14 NHL games, 62 AHL games.
When Detroit Red Wings wing Michael Brandsegg-Nygard launches his shot, it is rarely a simple catch-and-release proposition for the opposing goalie. It often is the start of chaos.
“He’s got such a hard shot, a well-placed shot that, goalies typically don’t make clean saves off of it,” Grand Rapids coach Dan Watson said. “Something’s going to happen off of that.”
MBN’s ability to create confusion in the offensive zone is important for a franchise that is desperately looking for more scoring. The projection, or at least the hope, is Brandsegg-Nygard can play in the top six, scoring 20-plus goals per season. He may not be there yet, but he is close. His potential showed with a strong showing in the American Hockey League. We would grade his AHL work as A-.
Last Season
After starting the season with the Red Wings, MBN showed he wasn’t ready for the NHL spotlight. He looked misplaced, uncomfortable and overmatched. GM Steve Yzerman sent him to Grand Rapids and it was the correct decision. By the end of the season, he was playing a more confident, complete game. He finished with 20 goals and 44 points in 62 games for the Griffins. That’s a quality AHL production. Brandsegg-Nygard was the 11th Griffin to score 20 goals in his first AHL season. He added four goals and eight points in eight playoff games. After his AHL season, he helped Norway win its first medal at the World Championships. He was the team’s third-highest scorer with three goals and three assists in five games. He looked strong and effective playing against many NHLers in the tournamen
Three Reasons Why Brandsegg-Nygard Will Play in the NHL
- The Red Wings believed Brandsegg-Nygard boasted an NHL shot when they drafted him. Last season, he made strides in understanding how to use his shot off even when he doesn’t have much time or space.
- Although he grew up in Norway, MBN came to the U.S. with a North American approach to hockey. He offers a physical game to go with his scoring touch.
- A feisty competitor, the young winger is already a strong forechecker and is improving as a defensive forward. “I trust him, and he’s going to do the right things,” Watson said. “He’s strong on pucks, he protects pucks, he’s hard to knock off pucks. So just all those intangibles he has.”
What May Hold Him Back
Brandsegg-Nygard is still learning how to get himself open in the offensive zone. He is still working to master the knack of seeing a scoring chance before it happens.
ETA
It would be disappointment for the Red Wings if doesn’t play in Detroit in 2026-27. This is a team that needs to score more goals and wants to play more physical. He can help in both of those missions. The best guess would be he would start on the third line with the hope that he will force coaches to move him up in the lineup. Unless the Red Wings land a proven scorer in a Dylan Larkin trade, the Red Wings will still be looking for another scorer in October. He has a chance to be that guy. At a minimum, he will rack up hits as a third liner while learning how to score at the NHL level.
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