Red Wings draft Michael Brandsegg-Nygard 15th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft

The Detroit Red Wings have drafted Michael Brandsegg-Nygard with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

PARADISE, NV – JUNE 28: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round during the Upper Deck NHL Draft on June 28, 2024 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Update: Text time.

Elite Prospects’ Lassi Alanen analyzed MBN…

Every year has at least a prospect or two near the top of the draft who may not possess the most overwhelming offensive ceiling but has a high likelihood of playing and driving strong results anyway.

This year, that prospect is Michael Brandsegg-Nygård.

The Norwegian winger was already a dominant force with Mora IK’s U20 team last season, leading them in points-per-game output while also showing promise during a cup of coffee in the HockeyAllsvenskan. Based on his physical maturity and translatable skill set, it was always clear that he’d be ready for a full-time role in the professional ranks in his draft year.

Brandsegg-Nygård didn’t disappoint, adding 18 points in 41 games during the regular season while maintaining a consistent top-nine role with Mora. He also scored at a point-per-game rate at the World Juniors, even while the tournament was far from his best work overall.

Now, he’s set to become the first Norwegian to get drafted in the first round and take the mantle of the best prospect the country has ever produced. 

The Hockey News weighs in:

15. Detroit Red Wings: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, Mora (Swe.2), 6-foot-1, 207 pounds

Brandsegg-Nygard, the first-ever Norwegian taken in the first round of the draft, has so many of the pro habits you want from a player. He has the intricacies of winning puck battles along the boards and knows where to be defensively or how to help cover for his teammates. He just plays with a maturity beyond his years. As the season advanced, his confidence with the puck did as well. Brandsegg-Nygard began using his one-timer more often in space. When he was around the net, he was a hound on rebounds, beating opponents to loose pucks regularly. (Ferrari’s rankings)

ESPN:

15. Detroit Red Wings
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW

Team: Mora (SWEDEN-2) | Rank: 19
DOB: 10/05/05 | Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 198 | Shot: R
2023-24 stats: GP: 41 | G: 8 | A: 10 | P: 18

Scouting notes: The Norwegian forward is one of the most well-rounded players in the draft. The blend of grit, skill and in-tight scoring ability has scouts believing he is a Swiss army knife at the NHL level. There is belief that he could be the best two-way forward in the draft not named Celebrini.

Defensively, he may be the best forward in the draft. He is consistently in the right positions, makes excellent reads in defensive transition and reads off his teammates well to support the puck. His ability to retrieve pucks, win puck battles, and position his body in ways that make is nearly impossible to knock him off the puck will only improve has he physically matures and adds strength. He’s unafraid to deliver a board-shaking body check to shift momentum, but does not put himself out of position to do so. He separates opponents from the puck, drives forward and uses his powerful frame to cut to the middle or the net. Truthfully, if there is a weakness in his defensive game, I have yet to find it.

The drawback with Brandsegg-Nygard is that he isn’t dynamic. His ceiling isn’t as high as other players’, but his floor is higher than nearly every forward outside of the top five. There is little doubt he will be a middle-six power forward who will be deployed to shut down opponent’s best players and finish offensive opportunities in tight. As one scout put it, “He isn’t the guy you build around, but certainly the type of player that every contender wants in the middle of their lineup.” — Doerrie

Team fit: What’s this? The Red Wings went into Europe and drafted a player?

In all seriousness, Brandsegg-Nygard was thought to be someone who could have gone in this range, so it wasn’t like the Red Wings reached.

Detroit has used two of its most recent first-round picks to get centers. It’s just that Brandsegg-Nygard gives them another potential top-six winger. And given how the Wings are currently set up with their forward depth, Brandsegg-Nygard has a good chance to break onto the scene in the near future. — Clark

NHL.com:

15. Detroit Red Wings — Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, Mora (SWE-2)

NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 5 (International skaters)

Brandsegg-Nygard (6-1, 207) was born in Oslo, Norway, but plays for Mora in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second division, where the 18-year-old had 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 41 regular-season games. His 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 12 games during the Allsvenskan playoffs were a record for an NHL draft-eligible player. He had five points (three goals, two assists), nine shots on goal and averaged 17:22 of ice time in five games for Norway at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. Brandsegg-Nygard is the highest-selected Norway-born player ever, surpassing forward Marius Holtet, a second-round pick (No. 42) of the Dallas Stars in the 2002 NHL Draft. Brandsegg-Nygard plays an advanced game, skates well and has a great shot.

“He plays a very mature game and is one of the best prospects from Norway in many years,” NHL director of European Scouting Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen said. “He’s physically strong to play men’s games, is hard-working and has a great attitude. He wants to be a difference-maker.”

The Athletic‘s Corey Pronman:

Draft grade: Detroit goes with predictable pick in Brandsegg-Nygard

Pick grade: B

Thoughts on the pick:

In what may be the most predictable pick in this draft, Detroit picks the player that we gave them in nearly every mock draft. He’s a hard-working two-way winger who can score and has some bite, and projects as a top-six wing.

Another update: Even more text:

Here’s MLive’s Ansar Khan:

Brandsegg-Nygard (6-1, 198) played for Mora in Allsvenskan, the second-highest men’s league in Sweden, where he tallied eight goals and 10 assists in 41 games. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but it’s difficult for teenagers to produce in a league playing against men.

He boasts a strong all-around game with the ability to score, facilitate and handle the puck. He is said to have few holes in his game.

The Red Wings took Brandsegg-Nygard over high-scorers Cole Eiserman of the U.S. National Team Development Program and Michael Hage, who played last season for the USHL’s Chicago Steel and will play at Michigan next season.

This is the third year in a row Detroit has taken a forward with its top pick, after selecting centers Marco Kasper (eighth in 2022) and Nate Danielson (ninth in 2023) in each of the past two years.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James (the Free Press also posted a photo gallery)…

The Detroit Red Wings added a bit of offensive potential to the organization on Friday night as they selected forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård of Norway with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL draft.

Brandsegg-Nygård is the first Norwegian selected in the first round of the NHL draft. The native of Oslo has been playing in Sweden’s second league and is earmarked to spend the 2024-25 season with Skellefteå in the top-rated Swedish Hockey League. There, he’ll be teammates with fellow Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka. Brandsegg-Nygård, 18, is already 6 feet 1 and 207 pounds. He shoots right, which is always in demand. He’s known for being a hard worker, and regularly strives to be a difference-maker.

Brandsegg-Nygård registered eight goals and 10 assists for Mora in HockeyAllsvensken in 2023-24. He has a better scoring touch than his stats suggest, though and he’s the type of player whose efforts may not necessarily show up on a scoring sheet, in the way he works down low and has a hand in creating offensive opportunities.

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan…

Ranked No. 5 by NHL Central Scouting international skaters, Brandsegg-Nygard eclipsed forward Marius Holtet, a Norwegian who was picked 42nd overall (second-round) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by Dallas.

“Michael is one of the best prospects from Norway for years,” said Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen, NHL director of European scouting for NHL.com. “He makes good decisions with the puck and can see the ice very well. He looks very confident and poised with the puck. He is strong on his skates and has fair first-step quickness He has smooth hands and his wrister is dangerous.”

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood….

Last season, Brandsegg-Nygård played for Mora IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier league in Sweden. He scored 18 points in 41 games, which is a solid season for a draft-year prospect in a low-scoring league. A lot of that came from his quick-release shot. But with Brandsegg-Nygård, scoring is a fraction of what he provides. He’s a competitor to the nth degree, someone who wills games his way if he can’t win them with skill.

“When he gets that helmet on, something happens with him,” Norway U20 coach Christer Nylund told The Hockey News last month. “The players I’ve worked with throughout my career, I think that’s maybe the most important thing that you can have as a player, like getting that helmet on and then just being so focused and so competitive in the game.”

Next season will be a big one for Brandsegg-Nygård, when he will play for Skelleftea AIK of the SHL. That team probably sounds familiar because it’s where Red Wings defense prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka plays — and where he won the SHL Championship this season.

97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield…

They went back to the Swedish ranks to select forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, the first-ever Norwegian to be drafted in the first round. A 6’1 winger, he spent last season with Mora IK in Sweden’s second-highest professional league, putting up 18 points in 41 games, plus 10 points in 12 playoff games. He also led Norway in goal scoring at the World Championships this spring.

“A gamer,” per Elite Prospects.

Brandsegg-Nygard is a physical player known for his shot and hockey IQ. In a league with grown men last season, he “bullied his opponents most nights,” per Elite Prospects. He also knows how to put the puck in the net, which is something the Red Wings have lacked in their system — and in Detroit.

It’s the fifth year in a row that Steve Yzerman and the Wings have drafted a Swedish league player in the first round, with Brandsegg-Nygard joining Axel Sandin Pellikka, Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson and Lucas Raymond.

He recently signed a one-year deal with Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish Hockey League, a leap into the best league in the country. That’s where he figures to play next season.

Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin…

Brandsegg-Nygard, 18, makes history as the first Norwegian player ever to go in Round 1. Previously, the highest-drafted Norwegian was right winger Marius Holtet, who went in the second round, 42nd overall, to the Dallas Stars in 2002 and never made it to the NHL. Only nine Norwegians have, and only two – Mats Zuccarello and Espen Knutsen – have even cleared 200 games. Zuccarello is by far the nation’s top hockey exploit, with his 636 career points topping Knutsen’s second-place total by a whopping 525 points.

But all that could be changing now. Brandsegg-Nygard has serious potential to become the nation’s next impactful NHL scorer. He has a well-rounded skill set that should endear him to the Red Wings coaching staff in short order and give him opportunities to play a variety of roles up and down the lineup. On one hand, he’s an underrated goal scorer with a dangerous release. He scored three goals in five games at the 2024 World Junior Championship and added three more in seven games at the 2024 World Championship. He’s also a defensively conscientious and tenacious two-way forward, not afraid to mix things up with his 6-foot-1, 198-pound frame. Brandsegg-Nygard is also used to playing against men already, having logged significant minutes this season with Mora in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s No. 2 pro league.

Note the jump in his production late in the year. He had eight goals and 18 points in 41 regular-season games but stepped up with four goals and 10 points in 12 qualification games. No wonder he has developed a reputation as an all-out gamer.

As well as Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis, who spoke with Stian Solberg and MBN about thier friendship…

Brandsegg-Nygård has one of the best shots in the game, and his competitive nature allows him to overpower opponents in the second-tier Swedish league. MBN had 18 points in 41 games with Mora, leading all U-19 scorers while playing against men. He had five points in seven games at the World Championship, his first major senior-level international hockey event.

What makes Brandsegg-Nygård so interesting is how difficult he makes himself to play against. He’s one of the most active skaters out there, just moving at full pace all the time. If he wants to move you, he will. And with a shot release like his with good hockey sense and puckhandling, there’s many projectable tools here for a player with high upside.

“He’s a hard guy that you want on your team,” Solberg said. “He likes to shoot the puck, he’s a great skater, he can pass really well. He plays hard with his body, and he creates a lot of energy.”

And McKeen’s Hockey’s Felix Robbins:

While the production hasn’t really come until recently, Brandsegg Nygård has been playing extraordinary hockey all year and has worked his way from the 4th line all the way up to the 1st. His team dominates possession whenever he’s on the ice. He injects any line he plays on with energy and intensity, and he never takes a shift off. He embodies Mora’s hi-tempo style with his physicality and forechecking prowess. He is inside driven, and he isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty in the corners. With his excellent hands and hockey sense, he can turn loose puck battles into scoring chances in an instant.

Just by watching him, you can easily project Brandsegg Nygård’s skillset to an NHL role. However, that has never really been up for debate. The real question surrounding his projection is his offensive/high end skill ceiling. He flashes it from time to time, manipulating defenders with body fakes, hesitations, drag-through moves, and more. At the start of the year, it felt like such a fringe part of his game that it was difficult to accurately factor into his overall projection. However, as the year has progressed and as he has acclimated himself to the pace of HockeyAllsvenskan play, the fine skill has become more of a real asset to Brandsegg Nygård’s game and has elevated his projected ceiling from a “defensive winger” to a legitimate Top 6 power winger. If he stays on the same trajectory, he could very well find himself within the top ten (or higher) on most scouts’ lists come draft day.

Here’s Sportsnet, too:

Brandsegg-Nygard plays in Sweden and last season with Mora in the second division, he had eight goals and nine assists in 40 games. Next season Brandsegg-Nygard will team up with fellow Red Wings draft pick Axel Sandin Pellikka at Skellefteå in the first division of the SHL.

“Brandsegg-Nygard is plenty strong and has proven he can play at pro pace this season,” Sportsnet scout Jason Bukala wrote in a scouting report. “His ability to shoot the puck in motion, off the rush, is an asset he has when he beats opponents up ice. He’s smart, skilled, and competitive.”

And The Athletic’s Corey Pronman:

Analysis: Brandsegg-Nygard was very good at the Swedish junior level. He started off slow versus men, but was very good in the Allsvenskan playoffs and made Norway’s senior team. He is a well-rounded forward. He’s a good skater. He has strong puck skills. He has a great shot and is often a threat to score from mid-distance. His frame is average-sized, but he plays hard and has physicality in his game. He thinks the game well and sees plays develop, but I don’t think his playmaking is his main asset. Even if he’s not very dynamic, Brandsegg-Nygard has a game that should lend itself to success versus men, eventually as a good NHL forward and potentially in a top six.

Pick grade: B

Thoughts on the pick: In what may be the most predictable pick in this draft, Detroit picks the player that we gave them in nearly every mock draft. He’s a hard-working two-way winger who can score and has some bite, and projects as a top-six wing.

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George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!