Report: Red Wings Wanted First Round Pick in Grand Rapids, but He Insisted on Sweden

Per reporting from Robin Lindgren of the Swedish outlet Norran, there was a slight rift between the Red Wings and 2024 first round pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygård with respect to where the Norwegian winger would spend the 2024-25 season.

After attending pre-season with Skeleffteå AIK of the SHL, Brandsegg-Nygård then joined the Red Wings for training camp. While his physicality and lightning bolt of a shot commanded attention, he was never a particularly realistic option to make the Red Wings’ NHL squad this season. Instead, the question was always more likely to be: Should Brandsegg-Nygård play the season in Grand Rapids or Skellefteå?

“Really, the idea of bringing him over is to work with our coaches, work with our staff on his skating, on his strength and conditioning and get a little bit of experience in the preseason and go from there,” said general manager Steve Yzerman Sept. 17. “If I (do) not make the team this year, the next year I have one more year of experience for the training camp and stuff like that,” Brandsegg-Nygård added himself during training camp. “So I know the system more and I’m probably more comfortable and stuff like that the next year.”

Now, per Lindgren’s reporting, we have a bit more insight into how Brandsegg-Nygård wound up back with Skellefteå rather than reporting to the Griffins. Specifically, Lindgren suggests that Red Wings brass expressed a preference for him to play in Grand Rapids, while Brandsegg-Nygård himself expressed a strong preference to play in Sweden, citing the fact that playing in a league where winning matters would be developmentally beneficial.

Of course, all NHL teams pay a certain measure of lip service to the idea that winning matters at every organizational level. However, in practical terms, it’s undeniable that the AHL’s primary purpose is to produce a steady stream of low cost young NHL players, a process fundamentally at odds with an all out focus on team results.

For what it’s worth, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has previously expressed that he never likes to rush a prospect and generally recommends they finish their pre-NHL careers before committing to (North American) pro hockey, whether that happens in Canadian major junior, the NCAA, or in Europe.

Regardless of the precise contours of the decision making process, one thing we know for sure is that Brandsegg-Nygård will spend the coming season in Sweden.