The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a Monday-afternoon notebook article about Red Wings prospects Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Jakub Rychlovsky and Axel Sandin Pellikka. Kulfan notes that Brandsegg-Nygard had to adjust to new skates at the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp, but when he got his own skates in baggage, he perked up:
“He was having trouble with his skates, falling down,” Cleary said. “I talked to him and said ‘Listen, I’m not here judging that, whether you can stand up or not. We’ve seen your body of work, and (amateur scouting director) Kris Draper has looked at him all year with our scouting staff.”
What stood out for the Wings was Brandsegg-Nygard’s frame, a sturdy 6-foot-1, 207 pounds, and the fact he knew how to use his body to an advantage.
“You can see he’s strong protecting the puck, and he can shoot it very well,” Cleary said. “Like every young kid, we look at their testing, and they have to get stronger, which they will as they get older and more mature. His skating, he knows he’s got to work on, and he’s driven to work on.”
Brandsegg-Nygard will play in Sweden next season, for Skelleftea, jumping from Sweden’s second division to the top men’s league. Brandsegg-Nygard will be a teammate of defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka, the Wings’ 2023 first-round pick.
“That’s a jump for sure,” Cleary said of moving up a division. “But with his size and his weight, he’ll be able to handle himself and protect himself in the corners, hang on to the puck a little better. The transition will be easier with him having a frame to him.”
Continued (paywall); we don’t technically know whether MBN is going to play in Sweden or whether he’s going to play for Grand Rapids, given that he’s going to attend the Red Wings’ training camp…
But it is highly, highly likely that he will remain with Skelleftea AIK on a loan (now that the Red Wings have signed him to an entry-level contract, they control his place of play).
