DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today assigned forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Brandsegg-Nygård, 20, skated in nine games with the Red Wings to begin the 2025-26 season, recording one assist, two penalty minutes, 14 shots and 28 hits in 12:27 average time on ice. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound forward tallied his first career NHL point with an assist on Oct. 23 against the New York Islanders. Additionally, Brandsegg-Nygård led all Red Wings skaters with seven points (4-3-7), a plus-six rating and six penalty minutes in seven preseason games prior to making his NHL debut. Brandsegg-Nygård began the 2024-25 campaign with Skellefteå AIK in the Swedish Hockey League, logging 11 points (5-6-11) and 51 penalty minutes in 42 regular-season games, in addition to six points (4-2-6) and 12 penalty minutes in 11 postseason contests. He also made his North American professional debut with the Griffins in 2024-25, playing in two regular-season games before notching three points (2-1-3) in three Calder Cup Playoff matchups. Brandsegg-Nygård previously spent two seasons with Mora IK in Sweden’s second-highest professional league from 2022-24, collecting 21 points (9-12-21) and 25 penalty minutes in 52 games. He also racked up 50 points (22-28-50) and 38 penalty minutes in 42 games with Mora IK’s under-20 team, along with 10 points (5-5-10) and six penalty minutes in four games at the under-18 level.
Selected by the Red Wings in the first round (15th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Brandsegg-Nygård became the first Norwegian-born player to be selected in the first round of an NHL Entry Draft. The Oslo, Norway, native made his professional debut as a 16-year-old with Vålerenga in the EliteHockey Ligaen, skating in eight games in Norway’s top professional league during the 2021-22 season. On the international stage, Brandsegg-Nygård represented his country at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, picking up four assists and a tournament-high 29 penalty minutes in five games. He also competed with Norway at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship Division I A, netting one goal in five appearances. Brandsegg-Nygård shined at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, recording five points (3-2-5) in seven games en route to being named one of his country’s top three players. He also played at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, totaling five points (3-2-5) in five games. Brandsegg-Nygård won a gold medal at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship Division I A, collecting five points (2-3-5) in five games, and also captured a silver medal at the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championship Division I A with four points (2-2-4) in five contests.
