Michael Brandsegg-Nygard didn’t score in Norway’s 6-2 win over Great Britain, but the Norwegians earned their second win in two games at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and a win against Denmark on Monday would sew up their status as having qualified for the 2026 Olympics in Milan.
Ny seier i OL-kvalifiseringen! 🎉#Hockeygutta vinner 6-2 over Storbritannia og står nå med 6 poeng og full pott etter de to første kampene i Ålborg.
— Norges Ishockeyforbund (@norskishockey) August 30, 2024
🚨 Norges målscorere: #41 Patrick Thoresen (3), #4 Johannes Johannesen, #20 Emilio Pettersen og #40 Ken André Olimb. pic.twitter.com/xlsWnGqRHq
While it looks like Marco Kasper’s Austrians are going to be playing for pride after dropping a 2-1 decision to Kazakhstan, the Norwegians definitely have momentum, and they talk a lot on the ice. I was very impressed by the levels of communication (mostly in English) by both Norway and Great Britain…
And MBN looked good playing on the right wing again. He’s not huge at 6’1,” but Brandsegg-Nygard plays like a very big man, he skates well, shoots superbly and grinds out pucks along the boards and behind the net. There’s a lot of raw potential there, and in that sense, I can see why MBN wants to play for Skelleftea AIK of the SHL before making the jump to North American hockey.
There are still some rough edges to his play after skating in the HockeyAllsvenskan for Mora IK during his draft year, and it might be best for him to remain in Europe to round out his game.
