Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (born October 5, 2005) is a Norwegian professional ice hockey

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for Skellefteå AIK of the

Swedish Hockey League The Swedish Hockey League (officially SHL; sv, Svenska Hockeyligan) is a professional ice hockey league, and the highest division in the Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, an ...

(SHL), as a prospect for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 15th overall by the Red Wings in the 2024 NHL entry draft, becoming the first Norwegian ever selected in the first round.

Playing career

Brandsegg-Nygård made his senior professional debut for Vålerenga Ishockey of Norway's EliteHockey Ligaen (EHL) as a 16 year old, appearing in eight EHL games in addition to playing at the under-20 level. He was offered a spot in the system of Swedish club Mora IK midway through the year, but chose to remain in Norway until the season ended. Turning down an offer of a full time EHL role with Vålerenga, Brandsegg-Nygård joined Mora for the 2022–23 season, appearing in 11 games in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan and 35 in the

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. He made his Allsvenskan debut a week after turning 17, on October 12, 2022, and scored his first goal in the league against Tingsryds AIF on November 7, 2022. In his draft-eligible season, Brandsegg-Nygård once again split time between the professional and junior levels, recording eight goals and ten assists in 41 Allsvenskan games. His shot, hockey IQ, and mature game were among the features lauded by scouts, who projected him as a first round pick and possibly "the best prospect Norway has ever produced." On May 17, 2024,

(SHL) club Skellefteå AIK announced that they had signed Brandsegg-Nygård to a one-year contract. On June 28, 2024, at the 2024 NHL entry draft, he was selected 15th overall by the

, becoming the first Norwegian player selected in the first round. Two weeks later, on July 11, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Red Wings.

International play

Brandsegg-Nygård made his senior international debut at the 2022 MECA Hockey Games, appearing against

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and Denmark as a 17 year old. At Division IA of the

2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships are the 47th edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship, scheduled to be held from December 26, 2022 through January 5, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick. They were origina ...

, Brandsegg-Nygård and the Norwegian team finished in first, earning promotion to the top division for the first time in nearly ten years. Returning to Team Norway for the

2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''2024 WJHC'') will be the 48th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It will begin on December 26, 2023 and will end with the gold medal game being played on January 5, 2024. This ma ...

, he had three goals and five points in five games, with an average of 17:22 of time on ice. In the relegation match against Germany, Norway lost 5–4 in overtime to be sent back to Division IA. In his senior-level tournament debut at the

2024 IIHF World Championship The 2024 IIHF World Championship will be hosted by Czechia from 10 to 26 May 2024. This decision was made at the semi-annual International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) congress. Officially, this was announced on 12 September 2020 by the IIHF, de ...

, Brandsegg-Nygård was the third youngest player, behind teammate

Stian Solberg Stian Solberg (born December 29, 2005) is a Norwegian professional ice hockey defenceman for Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He was drafted 23rd overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2024 NHL entry draft, becoming the second ...

and Finnish forward Konsta Helenius. He would finish the tournament with three goals and five points in seven games, with each of his goals coming off assists from Mats Zuccarello.

Personal life

Brandsegg-Nygård is the son of , who played over 450 games for

Vålerenga Vålerenga () is a neighbourhood in the city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo. Vålerenga is located between the neighbourhoods of Gamlebyen, Jordal, Ensjø, Etterstad and Lodalen. Vålerenga is in particular known for it ...

in the top level Norwegian EliteHockey Ligaen and made many appearances with the

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Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brandsegg-Nygård, Michael 2005 births Living people Detroit Red Wings draft picks Ice hockey people from Oslo Mora IK players NHL first-round draft picks Norwegian ice hockey forwards Vålerenga Ishockey players