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Brandsegg-Nygard Readying For Red Wings

Top pick leaves for Detroit next week

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Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Red Wings
Red Wings top 2024 draftee Michael Brandsegg-Nygard will soon be heading to Detroit.

Fresh off his disappointing close call at earning an Olympic berth with Norway, Detroit Red Wings 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is back in Sweden with his SHL club Skelleftea.

Well, at least for the time being he is. Soon, he’ll be jetting across the Atlantic Ocean to be attending the Red Wings camp.

“He is with us this week and plays two (Champions Hockey League) games,” Skelleftea coach Robert Ohlsson was confirming to Swedish website Aftonbladet.

Skellefta will be playing Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg on Friday and Germany’s Straubing Tigers on Sunday in CHL competiton.

“Then he goes to training camp and will play some practice games (with the Red Wings),” Ohlsson said. “Then (Detroit GM Steve) Yzerman and the boys have to make a decision if he is NHL-ready or if he is going back to Skelleftea.

“There it is. He is Detroit’s player.”

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For his part, Brandsegg-Nygard doesn’t seem to think he’ll be making his Red Wings debut during the 2024-25 NHL season.

“I’m going to do everything I can, and everyone wants to play in the NHL, but it’s a very difficult goal now,” Brandsegg-Nygard told Norwegian website Nitten.

“I doubt it will happen.”

If that turns out to be the case, then Brandsegg-Nygard will be returning to Sweden to make his SHL debut with reigning champions Skelleftea. There he will be teammates with defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka. Sandin Pellikka was chosen 17th overall by Detroit during the first round of the 2023 draft.

The two young players have been discussing the possibility of playing together.

“I’ve seen him on some national tournaments before I finally met him back home,” Sandin Pellikka said. “He came over for the summer practice. I’ve been getting to know him. We’ve been chatting a little and we’ll make sure to build some chemistry back home.”

Naturally, Brandsegg-Nygard has been pelting Sandin Pellikka with questions about the Red Wings organization.

“He said it’s a great organization and he loves to be here,” Brandsegg-Nygard said. “It was cool I got drafted to the same team.”