Sandin Pellikka Teammate Projected to be Heading to Red Wings

“It feels great that Michael chose to come to Skelleftea,” Skelleftea’s sports manager Eric Forsell said. “He is a young player who is already far ahead with a lot. He combines a high skill with competitive instinct and hard work.”

Whether they will be teammates in the NHL beyond next season is still to be determined. But there’s a lot of logic in suggesting Brandsegg-Nygard could wind up in the Red Wings organization.

Brandsegg-Nygard Would Fill Void With Red Wings

Detroit GM Steve Yzerman is fond of taking Europeans early in the draft. He’s selections have featured at least one European player in the first round during each of his five draft as Red Wings GM.

Interestingly, all of them were either playing in the SHL, or would wind up taking a turn in that league prior to arriving in Detroit.

One facet of the game in which the Red Wings are currently lacking is size on the wing, and players willing to use that size to get to the net front.

“He is a hard driving winger,” Button said of Brandsegg-Nygard. “He wants to make a difference in the game.”

Brandsegg-Nygard was good for 8-10-18 totals in 41 games with Mora. In the playoffs, he was accounting for four goals and 10 points in 12 games. He would also contribute 2-3-5 numbers in five games for Norway at the world junior tourney.

The big winger currently has two goals in five games for Norway at the IIHF World Championship. That total is including a power-play goal and the game winner in Norway’s only win so far, a 2-0 verdict over Denmark.

Brandsegg-Nygard is skating on Norway’s top line alongside Mats Zuccarello of the Minnesota Wild and former NHL Patrick Thoresen, who is serving as Norwegian captain.