Red Wings Recall Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
The Detroit Red Wings announced that they have recalled forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. The recall was made under emergency conditions.
Today’s recall comes just shortly after the Red Wings were officially eliminated from playoff contention following a 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils. Detroit has a two-game road trip down to Florida to conclude its 2025-26 season, and now Brandsegg-Nygard will be a part of that trip.
Brandsegg-Nygard, 20, last played in the NHL exactly one month ago, for the final contest of a three-game stint on the NHL roster. Brandsegg-Nygard’s last two games in the NHL coincidentally also came against the league’s two Florida teams, who are the Red Wings’ final two upcoming opponents.
A 2024 first-round pick of the Red Wings, Brandsegg-Nygard is the highest-drafted Norwegian player in NHL history, the first to ever be selected in the first round. He spent the year following his selection in the SHL, scoring 11 points in 40 games for Skellefteå before joining Grand Rapids late in the season. He scored three points in three playoff contests for the Griffins.
This season has been Brandsegg-Nygard’s first full campaign in North America. He’s had a strong year, scoring 20 goals and 44 points in 58 games for Grand Rapids. While he hasn’t yet been able to translate that production to the NHL level, he also hasn’t looked entirely out of place when the Red Wings have brought him up to the NHL.
Brandsegg-Nygard has a hard-working forward who plays an endearing style of hockey that is tailor-made for the North American pro ranks. With how well he’s played in the AHL, and how little he’ll need to change the foundation of his game to be able to at least survive at the NHL level, it’s not out of the question that he makes a push for a full-time NHL roster spot as soon as next fall.
These final two games on Detroit’s schedule could be valuable data points in helping the Red Wings plan for next season’s team – and whether they can count on Brandsegg-Nygard to be on it.
Red Wings Reassign Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Dylan Larkin To Return
The Red Wings announced that they’ve reassigned rookie winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard to AHL Grand Rapids. That means his emergency conditions have been removed, meaning that captain Dylan Larkin should be expected to return to the lineup tonight against the Senators. He’s officially labeled a game-time decision for now, per Ansar Khan of MLive.
Brandsegg-Nygard’s recall back on March 7, the day after the trade deadline, was linked directly to Larkin’s injury the night before. He also ended up falling victim to Detroit’s injury bug, sitting out the last four games with an undisclosed injury. At the very least, he’s now at least healthy and cleared to play and will do so for Grand Rapids in short order.
The 20-year-old Norwegian only got into three games on this recall before the injury. In them, he went without a point while averaging 12:28 of ice time per game. He added eight hits and six shot attempts.
The 2024 15th overall pick is in his first season in North America. While he hasn’t made much of an NHL impact – just one assist and a -5 rating across 12 games dating back to his opening-night roster inclusion – he has made a smooth adjustment to AHL play. With 16 goals and 37 points in 50 games for Grand Rapids, he’s tied for second on the team in scoring – along with a glowing +24 rating – and will get some postseason experience too with the Griffins cruising toward the best record in the AHL’s Western Conference.
As for Larkin, Detroit navigated his absence as well as can be expected. The star pivot has missed seven games with a non-contact leg injury, during which the Wings have tread water with a 3-3-1 record. In a playoff race as tight as it is in the East, that’s potentially a death blow to their postseason hopes. They’re now one point back of the Islanders for a spot with a game in hand and have a must-win contest tonight against the Senators, who only trail Detroit by a point.
Red Wings Recall Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
The Red Wings announced today that they’ve recalled right winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard from AHL Grand Rapids under emergency conditions. With no more roster limit in effect, no corresponding move is required, nor does he count toward one of Detroit’s five allotted post-deadline standard recalls.
Detroit left deadline day with only 12 forwards rostered. They acquired David Perron from the Senators this week, but he’s still got a couple of weeks left in his recovery from sports hernia surgery, so he remains on injured reserve.
Then, captain Dylan Larkin sustained an awkward-looking non-contact leg/groin injury in the third period of last night’s loss to the Panthers (video via Ryan Hana of the Winged Wheel Podcast). Head coach Todd McLellan introduced a collective sigh of relief when he said postgame that he doesn’t anticipate Larkin missing significant time, but he does need to be evaluated and will at least likely sit out tomorrow’s game against the Devils, per Max Bultman of The Athletic.
Without him, they don’t have 12 forwards. Up comes Brandsegg-Nygard, 20, to fill the hole. Drafted 15th overall in 2024, he’s in his first season in North America after playing professionally in Sweden for three years and entered the season as the Wings’ #5 prospect according to Elite Prospects and #63 in the league.
Brandsegg-Nygard even impressed in training camp and cracked Detroit’s opening night roster thanks to the team’s need for depth scoring on the wings. He only lasted a nine-game trial, though, heading down to Grand Rapids in late October after managing one assist and a -5 rating in 12:27 of average time on ice.
In the meantime, he’s excelled in the AHL. In 50 games for Grand Rapids, he’s put up a 16-21–37 scoring line with a sensational +24 rating. At 6’1″ and 204 lbs, he looks well on his way to delivering the size-and-scoring combination the Wings brought him into provide as a complementary top-six piece long-term.
Now the winger will get another chance, although ideally a brief one if his time on the roster is directly linked to Larkin’s status, to prove himself in the NHL. Detroit will need someone to shift from the wing to center from last night’s lineup to replace Larkin, likely Michael Rasmussen, while Brandsegg-Nygard slots in somewhere on the flank.
He could even do so in a high-leverage role as the Wings look to overcome the loss of their biggest source of offense down the middle. Last night’s loss to Florida dropped their playoff chances down to a still strong 76.4%, per MoneyPuck, but that’s more wiggle room than they’d like after trading away this year’s first-round pick to the Blues, unprotected, in yesterday’s Justin Faulk deal.
Red Wings Assign Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
The Detroit Red Wings have reassigned top prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Brandsegg-Nygard played through the first nine games of his NHL career to start Detroit’s season. He recorded one assist, one penalty, and a minus-five through those appearances.
Brandsegg-Nygard’s first NHL sample was filled with up-and-down performances. Detroit was outscored one-to-six at even-strength when the Norwegian rookie was on the ice. At the same time, the Red Wings managed 5.06 expected-goals-for to only 2.78 expected-goals-against in Brandsegg-Nygard’s minutes. That difference not only gives Brandsegg-Nygard a Detroit-leading 64.5 expected goals-percentage (xGF%), it also gives him the eighth-worst goals-above-expected (-4.06) among NHL forwards.
Those numbers all suggest that Brandsegg-Nygard ran into a string of bad shooting luck to start his career. He’s long been a top prospect, and earned the 15th-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft after potting 28 points in 53 games in Sweden’s second-tier pro league, the HockeyAllsvenskan. His imposing two-way presence helped Mora IK earn a promotion to the SHL for the 2024-25 season. Brandsegg-Nygard chipped in 17 points in 53 games at Sweden’s top level, before ending last season with the first five games, and three points, of his AHL career.
He earned a spot in the NHL out of training camp this season, and showed through an impressive ability to make plays even when shots weren’t going his way – emphasized by a team-leading 28 hits. An assignment to the AHL should give Brandsegg-Nygard a chance to rediscover his puck luck, but it’s hard to imagine Detroit will want him out of the lineup for too long.
Red Wings Assign Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Axel Sandin-Pellikka To AHL
As expected, the Red Wings announced 2023 and 2024 first-round picks Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård will finish the season with AHL Grand Rapids. The pair spent the season as teammates on Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League.
The duo’s season came to an end when Skellefteå lost their semifinal series against Brynäs IF in five games. They were both important players for the club, but the older Sandin-Pellikka was particularly impactful. Wrapping up his second full SHL season and third overall, he tied for fourth on the team in scoring and ranked second among Skellefteå defenders with 12-17–29 in 46 games. His season culminated with leading U-20 SHLers in goals and points and taking home the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year award. He was also named the top defenseman at the World Juniors for the second year in a row, posting 10 points in seven games while serving as Sweden’s captain.
Ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the league and the No. 1 prospect in the Red Wings‘ system by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, Sandin-Pellikka is nearly a shoo-in for next season’s opening night roster as the second or third right-shot option behind Moritz Seider. Before doing so, the 5’11”, 185-lb rearguard will get a taste of North American pro hockey in Grand Rapids with the Calder Cup Playoffs-bound Griffins.
Not to be overlooked is Brandsegg-Nygård. Detroit made him the highest-drafted Norwegian in NHL history when they selected him 15th overall last year out of Mora IK of the Swedish second-tier league, the HockeyAllsvenskan. The Wings inked Brandsegg-Nygård to his entry-level deal last summer and loaned him back to Sweden to face some higher-level professional competition in a familiar environment.
A physically involved winger with a scoring touch, the 6’1″, 207-lb Brandsegg-Nygård managed 5-6–11 in 42 regular-season SHL games with a team-high 51 PIMs. He ended the season more optimistically, contributing 4-2–6 in 11 postseason games. He checked in as the No. 2 prospect behind Sandin-Pellikka in Wheeler’s midseason rankings and, while his NHL status for next season isn’t as certain, should at least make the jump to North America on a permanent basis and get heavy deployment in Grand Rapids. The end of this season will provide him with an early tune-up/adjustment period ahead of a pivotal 2025-26 campaign for his development.
East Notes: Liljegren, Shesterkin, Volokhin, Brandsegg-Nygard
While there has been some trade speculation surrounding Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that there is no imminent move on the horizon. Toronto is currently carrying eight blueliners while also having offseason additions Jani Hakanpaa and Dakota Mermis on LTIR so their depth is in decent shape, something Dreger notes Toronto likes. However, while having strong depth is one thing, having a healthy scratch making $3MM through next season isn’t ideal. Still just 25, Liljegren has nearly 200 career NHL regular season games under his belt and is coming off a season that saw him collect 23 points in 55 games while logging nearly 20 minutes a night. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see some trade interest in him in the coming weeks, especially if a team gets hit with some injuries on the back end. If not, they may still need to make a move in a few weeks as some of their injured players potentially return.
More from the Atlantic:
- On the heels of Igor Shesterkin declining an eight-year, $88MM extension offer from the Rangers, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that the goaltender is asking for $12MM per season. Recognizing the team might not go that high, the 28-year-old wants to be the highest-paid player on the team which means he might decline anything below the $11.643MM AAV that Artemi Panarin has on his deal. Shesterkin has a career 2.42 GAA and a .921 SV% in 214 games at the NHL level and will soon be the highest-paid goalie in league history with the offer he declined already coming in higher than Carey Price’s $10.5MM per season.
- Canadiens goaltending prospect Yevgeni Volokhin has been loaned to HK Sochi, per an announcement from the KHL club. SKA St. Petersburg acquired his rights earlier this week but will let the 19-year-old get his feet wet at the top Russian level elsewhere for the time being. Montreal drafted Volokhin in the fifth round in 2023, going 144th overall. He was one of the top netminders at their junior level last season, posting a 1.57 GAA with a .938 SV% in 31 games with Mamonty Yugry and has similar numbers (1.95 and .931 respectively) in eight appearances at the MHL level this year.
- The Red Wings wanted to assign prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard to AHL Grand Rapids but the first rounder and his camp insisted on him being assigned back to Sweden, relays Norren’s Robin Lindgren (Twitter link). The 19-year-old spent last season with Mora in the second-tier Allsvenskan level where he had 18 points in 41 games but his rights are now held by SHL Skelleftea. It’s believed that Brandsegg-Nygard feels that playing at the top level in Sweden will be better for his development than suiting up for the Griffins in the minors.
Atlantic Notes: Sabres Captain, Minten, Brandsegg-Nygård
General manager Kevyn Adams and head coach Lindy Ruff appear close to naming a captain for the Buffalo Sabres according to WGR’s Paul Hamilton. The team has not had a captain since trading Kyle Okposo to the Florida Panthers at last year’s trade deadline who held the role since the 2022-23 season.
Hamilton quoted Adams saying, “We’ve talked at length about it and Lindy said that he wants to get to know the guys. He spent a lot of time in the summer whether in person or on the phone, but just being around them and feeling them in practice, and I think we’re on the same page“. Although Adams was non-committal about when the organization may name their next captain all signs indicate it will happen before their first game on October 4th.
The top two candidates will likely be between defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and forward Alex Tuch. Dahlin is the former first-overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Sabres and has isolated himself as one of the best defensemen in the league. Tuch, on the other hand, is not necessarily the most talented player on the roster but holds a very public love for the city of Buffalo having grown up just east of the team in Syracuse, NY.
Other Atlantic notes:
- The Toronto Maple Leafs received a mild scare today with forward prospect Fraser Minten stepping away from the rest of today’s prospects game against the Montreal Canadiens. He was hit awkwardly into the boards in the second period before exiting from the game but Nick Barden of The Hockey News reports he’s only being held out for precautionary reasons. The former 38th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft went scoreless in his first few games with the Maple Leafs last season and is expected to spend much of next year with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
- On the other side of the border, the Detroit Red Wings are dealing with mild injury news to one of their forward prospects. Max Bultman of The Athletic reports that Michael Brandsegg-Nygård tweaked his groin in yesterday’s matchup against the Dallas Stars and will not play today. There’s no cause for concern for the recent 15th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft after registering an assist in yesterday’s win. He’s expected to join Detroit in Traverse City on Thursday to begin training camp as the team did not want to force a quick turnaround on their new prospect.
Snapshots: Henrique, Brandsegg-Nygard, Luoto, Eriksson
Before he ultimately re-signed with Edmonton, the Jets took a run at signing center Adam Henrique on the opening day of free agency, notes Postmedia’s Scott Billeck. Winnipeg was eyeing the 34-year-old as a replacement for Sean Monahan, who turned down an offer from them to ink a five-year deal with Columbus. Henrique had a solid showing last season, notching 51 points in 82 games between Anaheim and Edmonton and could have slotted in behind Mark Scheifele to anchor the second line but opted to return to play a lesser role with the Oilers.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- After inking his entry-level deal on Thursday, Red Wings prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard told Nitten’s Wegard Bakkehaug that no decision has been made regarding where he’ll play next season. The 18-year-old acknowledged that breaking camp with Detroit isn’t realistic but he is eligible to play with AHL Grand Rapids or play with SHL Skelleftea. Brandsegg-Nygard suggested his preference might be to play in Sweden and that Detroit will give him a chance to have a say in where he winds up.
- Former NHL winger Joona Luoto is expected to sign with HV71 of the SHL, reports Johan Svensson and Jacob Johannesson of Sport Expressen. The 26-year-old has 23 career NHL contests under his belt between Winnipeg and Columbus but became a Group Six free agent in 2023 and elected to sign a contract in Switzerland over another two-way deal in North America. Luoto had 18 goals and nine assists in 47 games with SC Bern last season.
- Generally speaking, NHL prospects typically prefer to play at the top level possible overseas. However, that’s not the case for Panthers youngster Linus Eriksson who told Hockey Sverige’s Uffe Bodin that he turned down interest from multiple SHL teams to remain with Djurgarden in the second-tier Allsvenskan. The 18-year-old was the 58th-overall pick by Florida after he put up 11 points in 29 games at that level last season. Eriksson was much more productive at the junior level, collecting 21 points in 25 games with them and added seven points in seven games for Sweden at the World Under-18s.
Red Wings Sign First-Rounder Michael Brandsegg-Nygård
The Detroit Red Wings have signed 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygård to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry an annual average value of $975K. Detroit selected Brandsegg-Nygård with the 16th overall pick this year, making him the first Norwegian to ever be selected in the first round. He was quickly succeeded by defender Stian Solberg, who the Anaheim Ducks selected at 23rd overall.
Brandsegg-Nygård earns his first NHL contract on the back of a standout year in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league. He spent 41 games with Mora IK, recording eight goals and 18 points. While meager scoring at a glance, Brandsegg-Nygård’s production actually marks the most any draft-year player has scored in the league since 2018 – and the ninth-most of all time. He earned his keep on the back of a very high-energy and responsible game.
He adheres closely to his position – but still shows impressive tempo and heft on the forecheck and quick processing when he fights his way onto the puck. He seems mature beyond his years, a sentiment stamped by his fantastic international performances. Brandsegg-Nygård recorded three goals and five points in five World Juniors games, defiantly leading an outmatched Norway squad. He matched the stat line in seven World Championship games with Norway’s men’s squad this summer, showing his ability to make an impact on any stage.
An entry-level deal will open the possibility of Brandsegg-Nygård joining the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins and maybe even vying for an NHL role next season, though he’s currently expected to join the SHL’s Skellefteå AIK. That should prove a plenty viable sparring ground for the high-tempo Brandsegg-Nygård as he looks to add next-level offensive traits to what is a very responsible toolset.