What to know about Detroit Red Wings first round pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygård

The Detroit Red Wings dipped into the talent pool of Norway in the first round of the 2024 NHL draft to take forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård with the No. 15 overall pick.

The pick was announced by vice president of hockey operations and Red Wings Hall of Famer Nick Lidström while two other Wings legends and front office decision-makers, general manager Steve Yzerman and assistant GM and director of scouting Kris Draper, stood by his side. Lidström announced the selection of Brandsegg-Nygård, the first Norwegian-born player to be selected in the first round; he currently plays professionally in Lidström's home country of Sweden.

INSTANT REACTION: Red Wings draft pick of Michael Brandsegg-Nygård ripped by ESPN host John Buccigross

He played in Sweden's second division at age 18 years old this past season and is expected to play in the top-level Swedish Hockey League, for Skellefteå alongside Axel Sandin Pellikka, who the Red Wings drafted No. 17 in 2023. Brandsegg-Nygård is a right-handed winger who projects as a two-way player on the right wing.

Here are a few more facts to know about the newest member of the Red Wings.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård stats and highlights

Brandsegg-Nygård is listed at 6 feet 1 and 207 pounds at 18. As a member of Mora IK in the HockeyAllsvenskan league, he recorded 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 41 games and recorded 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the league's qualification tournament, the most points by a draft-eligible player in the league's tournament history.

Top name from Norway

Brandsegg-Nygård made history as the highest-drafted player ever from Norway, as well as the first first-rounder. The highest-drafted Norwegians before him were Marius Holtet, who went 42nd in 2002 to Montreal and Bjorn Skaare, at 62nd in 1978 to the Red Wings. Later in the draft, the Anaheim Ducks selected the second Norwegian first-rounder, Stian Solberg, at No. 23. The chance to make history, he told TSN, means the world to him.

"That would mean a lot to me," Brandsegg-Nygård said. "It's a dream. It's cool to maybe be the one that makes history in Norway."

Brandsegg-Nygård has plenty of experience for his national team, both on the junior and senior level. He recorded five points in seven games for Norway at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and also played for the junior team in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, finishing with five points in five games. He is a gold medal winner in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.

He moved to Sweden at the age of 16 to pursue professional hockey. In an interview with NHL.com, Brandsegg-Nygård said it was necessary because playing in his home country "wasn't the right path" and he could play against elevated competition in the fellow Scandinavian country.

Physically imposing winger

Most scouting reports on the newest Red Wing feature a similar message: Brandsegg-Nygård is a more-than-capable defensive winger, good at using his size to impose himself and possessing a strong shot (even if it didn't reflect in the goal tally). Here are a few reviews from media scouting reports.

Detroit Free Press (June 25): "Brandsegg-Nygård registered eight goals and 10 assists for Mora in HockeyAllsvensken in 2023-24," Wings writer Helene St. James wrote. "Those stats aren't going to make anyone swoon, but Brandsegg-Nygård delivers a strong two-way game and he's the type of player who wins pucks for his linemates. He has a better scoring touch than his stats suggest, and he's the type of player whose efforts may not necessarily show up on a scoring sheet, in the way he works down low and has a hand in creating offensive opportunities."

EliteProspects: "Far from just holding his own, Brandsegg-Nygård bullied his opponents most nights. He went into every retrieval seeking out contact and almost always connected. Thunderous hits sent his opponents flying from the puck, and when he couldn’t overwhelm them with brute force, technique would take its place in the form of reverse hits, subtle jabs at the puck through contact to keep it from his opponent’s stick, or a drive up and through their hands to establish inside positioning."

The Athletic: "Brandsegg-Nygard was very good at the Swedish junior level," Corey Pronman wrote. "He started off slow versus men, but was very good in the Allsvenskan playoffs and made Norway's senior team. He is a well-rounded forward. He's a good skater. He has strong puck skills. He has a great shot and is often a threat to score from mid-distance. His frame is average-sized, but he plays hard and has physicality in his game. He thinks the game well and sees plays develop, but I don't think his playmaking is his main asset."

The Hockey News: "Every time I have seen Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, I have appreciated what he brings to the game more," Tony Ferrarri wrote. "He has so many of the pro habits that you want from a player, whether it's the intricacies of winning puck battles along the boards, where he needs to be defensively or how to help cover for his teammates. He just plays with a maturity beyond his years."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What to know about new Detroit Red Wing Michael Brandsegg-Nygård