Month: September 2024

Brandsegg-Nygard’s got a ‘long bomb’

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen reports that Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson was suitably impressed by Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s North American debut, in which he posted an assist in the Red Wings prospects’ 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars:

“He’s a big body, plays heavy,” Red Wings coach Dan Watson said.

Brandsegg-Nygard, who played for his native Norway in last spring at the World Championships, has more poise than you would expect for a teenager. He has no panic in his approach.

“I thought he had a good game,” Red Wings coach Dan Watson said. “I thought he madeon some really smart plays, especially that one in a third. Good patience coming out of our zone. Made a cross ice pass tape to tape to someone in stride. He’s physical in the right spots.”

Watson had a instant recommendation for Brandsegg-Nygard, based on the idea that he needs to take advantage of his best skill.

“One thing I’d like to see him do is get open, try to get some more opportunities to shoot the puck,” Watson said. “He has an absolute bomb and we have to do a good job or a better job of trying to find him some more opportunities to shoot that puck.”

It’s hard not to notice that Brandsegg-Nygard can be a long-range bomber.

“The first thing that pops in that shot,” teammate Amadeus Lombardi said, “especially off the left side, his one-timer side.”

Continued

Prospect Games ‘player takes’: Red Wings take Game 1 by a 5-1 tally

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects took a 5-1 decision from the Dallas Stars in the opening game of the teams’ two-game Prospect Games at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City.

The Red Wings’ prospects rallied from a 1-0 3rd period deficit thanks to goals from Charlie Paquette and Gabriel Seger 2 minutes and 8 seconds apart, early in the 3rd; Jakub Rychlovsky slithered a slick pass from Shai Buium home for a power play marker at 7:20 of the 3rd; Alexandre Doucet chipped in an Amadeus Lombardi pass at 14:46, and Lombardi found Doucet again for an empty-netter at 16:14.

Goaltender Carter Gylander was challenged more over the first 20 minutes than the final 40, but his 17-save performance was a stout one, and the Wings peppered Benjamin Kraws with 37 shots.

The teams will square off again tomorrow at 2:30 PM EDT; the game will be streamed on DetroitRedWings.com and only DetroitRedWings.com.

Continue reading Prospect Games ‘player takes’: Red Wings take Game 1 by a 5-1 tally

Tweets of note: Red Wings’ prospects win first Prospect Game over Dallas via 5 3rd-period goals

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects opened their two-game set of Prospect Games against the Dallas Stars with a 5-1 victory, but the final score was a bit deceiving.

The Red Wings actually scored 5 3rd period goals, the last of which hit an empty net, and Stars goaltender Benjamin Kraws actually stopped 33 of 37 shots.

The box score is stuck on in pregame mode, but Red Wings Prospects on Twitter captured the goals.

Mills speaks with Griffins coach Dan Watson about the Red Wings’ Prospect Games

Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson spoke with DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills regarding the Red Wings’ Prospect Games:

Watson said the Red Wings’ roster is brimming with up-and-coming talent.

“You can top it off with (Nate) Danielson and (Michael) Brandsegg-Nygard,” Watson said. “(Amadeus) Lombardi just joined our team, so it’s going to be nice to see how his summer went. (Jakub) Rychlovsky is more of an unknown, but after watching him through video you can see he’s a high-end talent. On the back end, Shai Buium has been around the organization here for a little while. There’s also Carter Gylander in net. He’ll get a full game (Saturday), so we’re excited to see how his development has gone this summer.”

According to Watson, the NHL Prospect Games is an opportune time to implement organizational culture and philosophies that will help the young players moving forward.

“It’s messaging,” Watson said. “It’s how do we want to play? It’s identity. Some of the guys on this prospect team we could see in Grand Rapids, so it’s also an opportunity for our staff to get these guys prepared. It’s a good start for us to make sure their compete level is high, that they’re willing to do all the little things and see how much information they can handle at once.”

When the prospects aren’t pushing each other to be their best on the ice, Watson said they’ll benefit from spending time together away from Centre ICE Arena.

“The good teams are the ones who can also have fun,” Watson said. “Detroit does a really good job when this is organized. From travelling by bus here, staying in the same hotel and team meals, keeping everyone together is the biggest part of this. It’s great to build rapport with one another and that team chemistry because that all shows on the ice.”

Continued

Becher out, Lombardi in

Per Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen:

Popular Red Wings center prospect Amadeus Lombardi is a late add to Detroit’s roster for the two-game NHL Prospect Series against the Dallas Stars starting today.

Game 1 is 6 p.m. today at the Centre ICE Arena. Game 2 is Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Lombardi, who played last season for the Grand Rapids Griffins, replaces Ondrej Becher, a Czech center who played for Prince George in the Western Hockey League last season. The Red Wings drafted Becher 80th three months ago.

Lombardi centers the No. 2 line today. Hunter Johannes is on his left side and Alexandre Doucet is on Lombardi’s right side.  Lombardi, 21, posted five goals and 26 points in his first professional season.

Tweets of note: Lineups for tonight’s Prospect Games affair, and ‘meet the team’

Here are the Red Wings and Stars’ lineups for tonight’s Prospect Games affair, per Ken Kal:

And the Red Wings posted a pair of Tweets:

Update: More:

The box score will be on PointStreak, too.

Prospect round-up: Forslund, Mora lose; Kiiskinen earns 17:46 of ice time in HPK loss

Of Red Wings prospect-related note:

In the Swedish J20 league, Charlie Forslund didn’t register a point while playing on Mora IK’s 4th line as Mora won 4-2 over Brynas IF;

And in the Finnish Liiga, Jesse Kiiskinen posted 3 shots in 17:46 played as HPK was shut out 2-0 by Assat.

Tweet of note: Prospect Games will only stream on DetroitRedWings.com

Per Daniella Bruce, the Red Wings’ Prospect Games vs. the Dallas Stars are only going to stream on DetroitRedWings.com. They’re not streaming them on YouTube or Facebook this year:

Are the training stakes high for Michael Brandsegg-Nygard?

I initially scratched my head a little bit at The Hockey News prospect guru Tony Ferrari’s list of the “Young NHL Players Needing a Strong Training Camp in the Atlantic Division,” but Ferrari makes a good point here:

Detroit Red Wings: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW

The Red Wings have several players that easily fit into this category. You could look at the blueline where Simon Edvinsson is all but assured a spot in the lineup. Albert Johansson is a low-ceiling defensive prospect who has shown to be a reliable defensive presence and he is no longer waiver-exempt, so does he earn a role on their crowded blueline? Up front, Carter Mazur is looking to find a role in the middle six while recent first-round picks, Nate Danielson and Marco Kasper, are looking to make good impressions in hopes of getting some NHL playing time.

The most interesting player at Wings camp is a player who may not actually have much of a shot at making the team this year in Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft. He plays a smart, powerful game and he has a number of NHL-ready tools but he is still a long shot to make this team. The winger is going to get a good look at what areas of his game need to take a step forward before heading back to Sweden for the season and that could set him up for his first North American season next year.

Continued; I suppose that’s a fair assessment. MBN probably won’t make the Red Wings’ roster, but he’s going to find out very quickly what aspects of his development need work as he jumps from the HockeyAllsvenskan and SHL preseason to playing with NHL competition.