Of late-night Red Wings-related note:
First, EP Rinkside’s fine David St-Louis and Mitch Brown issued 2024 NHL Draft grades for the NHL’s 32 teams, and, as has been the trend on Saturday, the Red Wings earned a “B-“:
Detroit Red Wings
Picks: Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (No. 15 overall), Max Plante (47), Ondřej Becher (80), Landon Miller (126), John Whipple (144), Charlie Forslund (176), Austin Baker (203), Fisher Scott (208)
Brandsegg-Nygård is a perfectly reasonable pick at 15th overall. He has the forechecking, physicality, shot, and speed to become a top-nine, puck-winning forward. It’s more the lack of variety in their prospect pool that concerns us.
Still, the Red Wings took some real swings in the draft. Plante has top-six potential because of his high-end playmaking, but the rest of his game must develop. Though Becher’s a double re-entry, he’s dynamic. If the skating improves, watch out. Foslund and Baker could both checking line forwards, too.
So while the Wings kept adding to the strengths of their strength, it’s tough to find too much fault in their work.
Grade: B-
And the Hockey News’s Tony Ferrari engaged in a thought experiment, attempting to discern the Red Wings’ tendencies and picks for this year’s draft. He actually went 2-for-8, which is impressive, landing on 15th overall pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and defenseman John Whipple, the Wings’ 144th overall pick, to the exact number at which Whipple was picked.
I like what Ferrari says about Brandsegg-Nygard, because the Red Wings definitely have a first-round “type of player” that they select, but it’s incorrect to suggest that the Wings draft the same player from a similar archetype:
Round 1, Pick 15: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW
Detroit selected Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW
This was an easy selection for me, and Detroit thought the same thing. The Norwegian winger is a powerful player who has seen his offensive game grow throughout the season. He was impressive in the Allsvenskan playoffs, showing himself as one of Mora’s best players at both ends of the ice.
I wouldn’t have done anything different in this case. Brandsegg-Nygard was my sixth-ranked skater because I believe the offensive game will continue to progress. He has a wicked shot and a very mature game on the forecheck and along the boards.
Some people have said the Wings drafted essentially the same player as Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson in the two prior drafts, but I don’t even think those two are the same player to begin with. Brandsegg-Nygard has the potential to be a top-six power winger who can use his big shot to score in the offensive zone while doing most of the dirty work. Kasper and Danielson may bring the same “safety” as prospects, but Brandsegg-Nygard has a higher ceiling than either of them.
Ferrari continues, and I’m not as familiar with Brandsegg-Nygard as I am with Kasper or Danielson, but Kasper’s that plucky two-way center with bite; Danielson’s more of a confident play-maker, and Brandsegg-Nygard appears to be a shooter.
