The Red Wings’ signing of Michael Brandsegg-Nygard to an entry-level contract doesn’t mean that they want to bring him over and have him play in the NHL; it means that the Red Wings want to have a measure of control over his playing situation in Sweden.
As such, via Red Wings Prospects on Twitter, Hockeysverige’s Simon Eid reports that Skelleftea AIK’s GM is a little concerned about what happens next for MBN:
Skelleftea’s answer: it means that Brandsegg-Nygard has signed an NHL contract
Being drafted in this year’s NHL draft and now signed by Detroit through a rookie contract, what does Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s new situation mean for Skelleftea [where he will play this upcoming season]?
“Now it’s Detroit, and not us, who decides, says Erik Forssell to Norran.
Overnight on Friday, the news was released by the Detroit Red Wings. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard has signed his first NHL contract with the team, only two weeks after being selected in the NHL draft. It comes as a reward after a strong season in the HockeyAllsvenskan, but at the same time, it means uncertainty for Skelleftea and sporting director Erik Forssell.
“It’s not really surprising that they chose to sign him when they chose him as the 15th player in the draft. Good for Michael and proof that he has done good things, he tells Norran.
Hoping for games in the SHL
The 18-year-old Norwegian was presented as a Skelleftea player in May, but has since been part of a few eventful weeks, where he participated in Detroit’s development camp, among other things. Whether Skelleftea will even get him back is not non entirely certain, but Forssell is positive.
“I don’t think that the contract makes that much of a difference for us, but I both believe and hope that he will play for us next season. There are the indications that we’ve received as well.”
Long story long, again, the entry-level contract gives the Red Wings control over MBN’s playing situation, and if they have to formally loan him to Skelleftea AIK, they’ll do so. For the present moment, learning to play at Sweden’s highest professional level is important for him, and is perhaps the ideal place for him to develop (alongside fellow Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka).
Update: For what it’s worth, Norway’s TV2’s Mina Finsted Berg wrote an article which ostensibly discusses Michael Bransegg-Nygard and Stian Solberg being drafted this past month in Las Vegas by Deroit and Anaheim, respectively…
But the article is really about the “Mats Zuccarello effect” upon developing Norwegian hockey players in Oslo, the capital of Norway.
Finsted Berg does mention that MBN’s father, Kjell Richard Nygard, was a legend for the Norwegian team Valerenga, playing over 400 games for the team, but that’s about all the substantive stuff on MBN’s situation.
