The last three stories I wrote this spring about the Grand Rapids Griffins all focused heavily on one player in particular: Michael Brandsegg-Nygård.
The former first-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings had a series that eclipsed the disappointment of the Griffins finishing the AHL regular season with the second-best record only to flame out in the best-of-five division finals after four games. His performances are the focal point of this mailbag, with Free Press reader Sam B. writing to ask, “So, are we going to see MBN full time next season? Seems like he’s earned it. Where would he fit?”
One of the things management looks for in judging the readiness of a prospect is whether he is dominating at his current level. That’s a resounding yes for the AHL playoffs for Brandsegg-Nygård, who at 20 years old led his Griffins teammates with eight points in eight games.
Included among his heroics: An overtime goal that saw Brandsegg-Nygård stickhandle through two defenders and drive the net to flip a backhand in Game 3 against the Chicago Wolves, and setting up a goal with 15 seconds to go in Game 4. (The goal originally was credited to Brandsegg-Nygård, but was changed after the game ended to Sheldon Dries, who tipped the puck). When the Griffins lost the latter, 3-2, on May 21, it ended their season. Brandsegg-Nygård had five points the last three games of the series. The upside to the Griffins’ elimination is Brandsegg-Nygård being able to join Team Norwal at the World Championship, which is running through May 31 at Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland.
Brandsegg-Nygård’s clutch performances in the Calder Cup playoffs are a strong sign that next fall, Brandsegg-Nygård will, like this past fall, break camp with the Wings – but this time, he should stick around in the NHL. He earned a spot in the 2025-26 opening lineup on the strength of producing seven points in seven exhibition games. It was a notable achievement for a European new to North American hockey, but one of the reasons Brandsegg-Nygård appealed to the Wings when they drafted him at No. 15 in 2024 was that he already was 6 feet 1 and 200-plus pounds – a teenager in a man-sized body. He stood his ground physically, but when he struggled to produce, he was sent to the minors for seasoning.
Consider him seasoned. It’s one thing to average a point in the preseason, when lineups are a mishmash of pros, minor-leaguers and hopefuls. But to do so in the AHL playoffs? That’s a statement.
Just how badly the Wings want the Norwegian forward to help them showed late in the season, when they called him back up and burned the first year of his entry-level contract by having him play a 10th game (he finished with one assist in 14 games). So his good run in the AHL playoffs bodes well for next season. He’ll have sky-high confidence, and he’ll come in having had a summer to add muscle to his frame. Anything can happen, of course, but Brandsegg-Nygård certainly projects to be a full-timer with the Wings next season. And they could use someone like him: He has a good shot and doesn’t hesitate to go to it (he had 23 shots on net in the eight AHL playoff games, tied with Anton Johansson for the team lead) and he doesn’t get pushed around.
We’ll see what happens with Patrick Kane, who needs a new contract, but if he returns, the expectation is he and Alex DeBrincat will man the second-line winger spots again – they have such excellent chemistry. (They were the top two producers during the Wings’ post-Olympics swoon.) That would slot Brandsegg-Nygård, who shoots right, onto the third-line right wing spot. That’s where the Wings had him in most of his 14 games this past season, and it makes sense: He won’t see as tough matchups as if he were in the top six. And he’s a natural fit on the power play.
The roster will see changes during the offseason – as I wrote in the previous mailbag, since it looks like 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa no longer fits into Detroit’s plans in goal, the Wings would be well served to package him in a deal for a skilled forward if possible – but Brandsegg-Nygård has made a strong case he’s ready to be with the Wings full time.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michael Brandsegg-Nygård’s future with Detroit Red Wings heating up
Reporting by Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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