With the 15th pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, the Red Wings have selected Michael Brandsegg-Nygard out of Sweden.
Brandsegg-Nygard is a swiss-army-knife type of player who had a pretty good showing at the World Championships. Here’s EliteProspect’s “elevator pitch” on the newest winger in Detroit:
“A modern power forward with projectable physical tools across the board; the best forechecker in the entire draft who has a direct path to a middle-six role in the NHL.”
Quick Facts
- Brandsegg-Nygard is of Norwegian descent, and the first hockey player from his country to go in the first round of an NHL Draft
- Same agency as Jonatan Berggren
- Won a gold medal at WJC in 22-23, was named top-3 best player on his team at WJC 23-24
- He is set to skate with Skelleftea in the SHL next season with Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Highlights
The Spin
I love this pick for Detroit. Some interesting names on the board at 15, but I feel like this guy is a safe pick. The Wings weren’t in a position to draft a player that is ready to play in the NHL next season, so putting stock in a hard-checking winger with a nasty shot and a lot of runway ahead of him — can’t be mad with that. He reminds me a lot of Chris Kreider. It’s definitely worth mentioning this — EliteProspects had Brandsegg-Nygard ranked no. 13 in its Consolidated Ranking. Also thought this stat from Cam Robinson was pretty interesting, but perhaps conjecture:
Some fun details from NHL Public Relations:
