Brandsegg-Nygard 'living the dream,' eyes future with Red Wings

DETROIT -- The past two first-round NHL Draft picks of the Detroit Red Wings will be playing together this season, not at Little Caesars Arena, but rather with Skelleftea, the defending champion of the Swedish Hockey League.

That's where forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, the No. 15 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, will play alongside defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who the Red Wings chose with the No. 17 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

“We practiced together for about two weeks before the draft,” said Brandsegg-Nygard, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Detroit on Thursday and said he asked Sandin-Pellikka about his post-draft experience.

The Red Wings have used Sweden as a training ground for years. Two of their top young players, forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider, played in the SHL, as did two of their prospects, defenseman Simon Edvinsson and forward Jonatan Berggren.

Before that, of course, were the Sweden-born players who helped Detroit win four Stanley Cup championships between 1997 and 2008. Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg each was a captain, and Niklas Kronwall, Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom were major contributors.

There is one significant difference regarding Brandsegg-Nygard: He is the first Norway-born player chosen in the first round of an NHL Draft.

“It has been a dream for so long,” Brandsegg-Nygard, who was born in Oslo, told the Red Wings website at the draft. “Now I am living the dream, so I’m just going to work hard, do what I always do and hopefully I’m going to be an NHL player someday.”

Detroit believes it has a player who can help at both ends of the ice.

“I think he plays a pretty responsible game for a young guy,” Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said. “When we all played junior, we worried about scoring. We didn’t check. He’s just got a really well-rounded game to him.

“I just think he’s a guy who could play in all situations. He can play either wing, a lot of different spots on the power play.”

Brandsegg-Nygard played against men as an 18-year-old last season with Mora in Allsvenskan, Sweden's second-highest professional league, with 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 41 games. He picked up his game in the playoffs, with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 12 games.

“I like his game,” Detroit director of player development Dan Cleary said during Red Wings development camp earlier this month. “Watching him play, you can see he’s strong protecting the puck, he can shoot it very well.”

Cleary sent Brandsegg-Nygard back to Sweden with some specific things to work on this season.

“Like every young kid, we look at their testing," Cleary said. "They’ve got to get stronger, which they will as they get older and more mature. His skating, he knows he’s got to work on it.

“He’s driven to work on it. Those are the ones that will get better.”

Brandsegg-Nygard agrees, feeling those skills are key parts of his game.

“I like to get into the defenseman’s body and push him away so I can pop up somewhere in the offensive zone with the puck and shoot,” he said. “On the forecheck, I can get up quick, hit the defenseman and get the puck back.”