Team Norway is playing a warm-up game against France ahead of the Olympic Qualifying tournament from August 29th-31st. [Update: and Norway won 9-0!]
While it’s an exhibition game, Red Wings Prospects on Twitter shows Michael Brandsegg-Nygard flexing his shooting muscles (twice) and displaying the same sniper’s shot he’s been displaying over the course of the SHL preseason:
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (1st round’24) with an absolute rip 🚨 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/Gb3FJWmTaA
— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) August 24, 2024
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (1st round’24) creates his own space and wires a laser for his 2nd goal 🚨🚨of the game. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/waHS0obOIP
— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) August 24, 2024
Again, whether it’s MBN or Kasper (who’s going to play for Austria in the Olympic Qualifying tournament) doing great things, we have to remember that it’s hockey in August, so I’m not exactly penciling in Brandsegg-Nygard for a spot on the Wings’ second line yet…But it’s good to see him displaying his potential on a consistent basis, exhibition games or no exhibition games.
Brandsegg-Nygard wants to head back to Skelleftea AIK for the upcoming season, and that’s where I think he’ll be, but that may be his only year overseas if he can keep up this kind of scoring punch as an 18-and-19-year-old breaking into the SHL.
So I’ll preach patience and taking these highlights with some salt as opposed to going ga-ga about a young man who has yet to play in an SHL regular season game. Let’s see how the Olympic qualifiers go, whether he gets into the Champions Hockey League games that are upcoming for Skelleftea, and ultimately, how he performs in the prospect tournament and training camp.
It’s really easy–and understandable–to get excited about a player’s potential when he’s having a dominant preseason. But it’s also a little premature to sign up to get your #28 Red Wings jerseys already.
