Red Wings Prospect’s Big Game Moves Norway Closer to Olympic Qualification

Detroit’s 2024 first-round pick, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, led Norway to a win in their opening Olympic qualifying game against Japan, and the way he did it should have fans of the Red Wings prospect excited for the future.

In a 4-2 victory in Group F of the Winter Olympics qualifiers, Brandsegg-Nygard scored a pair of goals while also controlling the game on the backcheck. For a prospect whose advantage is his almost immediate pro-readiness, that kind of performance — albeit against a team far less skilled than most pro groups — is exactly the kind of game Brandsegg-Nygard plays at his best.

This whale of a game got off to a slow start. In the first period, Brandsegg-Nygard hit two one-timers off the posts before firing his shot. Late in the second period, he scored his first goal with a one-timer from the left circle to give Norway a 3-1 lead.

Brandsegg-Nygard’s one-timer is deadly, a big shot that coaches and colleagues alike admire. But it’s not the only tool in his toolbox. After the second intermission, he scored a quick snap shot from the slot for a 4-1 lead. The goal was as much a testament to his instincts for getting open at the net as it was to his overall shooting ability.

Brandsegg-Nygard’s shot can take over an entire game. In an interview with The Hockey News in May, his former Mora IK coach Daniel Hermansson recalled the first game Brandsegg-Nygard ever played with Mora — a debut he opened with a hat trick.

“It was the beginning of the season, so I didn’t really know how Michael would do in the league,” Hermansson told The Hockey News. “We obviously hope he would be good, but we didn’t really know. Skelleftea was the better team, but he scored three goals. That kind of quick release, great move-type goals. That was the early memory of him, like oh my god, this kid can play and he can shoot the puck.”

Needless to say, Japan probably thought the same thing after Thursday’s game. They had no answer for him.

Much of Brandsegg-Nygard’s hype also comes from his ability to do the little things, like backcheck and crunch opponents. He did more than his fair share of that against Japan, but it’s the way this has combined with his scoring that should be noted. The goals show how balanced his game can be when it’s on point. The key is to develop some level of consistency.

There is a striking difference in skill between Japan, ranked 24th in the IIHF, and Great Britain, ranked 17th, with the 12th-placed Norwegians sharing Group F. Denmark, one spot higher in 11th, could pose a greater challenge to the Norwegians and Brandsegg-Nygard.

With his performance against Japan and more games against the Brits and Danes, Brandsegg-Nygard is on pace to attend the Red Wings’ training camp in mid-September. Though he’s signed with Skelleftea of ​​the Swedish Hockey League (the same team as 2023 first-round pick Axel Sandin Pellikka) next season, Brandsegg-Nygard will attend camp with a chance to land a spot with either the Red Wings or the Grand Rapids Griffins. The latter seems far more likely given the number of veteran prospects ahead of him and a shortage of available roster spots. Still, it’s a testament to his NHL readiness that he’s even gotten an invite to training camp this early.

For his next step in his hockey career, Brandsegg-Nygard has more unfinished business at the Olympic qualifying tournament. If his team finishes top, the Norwegian men’s hockey team could make it to the Olympics for the first time since 2018.

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