‘I just play the way I play’: Brandsegg-Nygård showing more confidence, consistency with Red Wings

DETROIT – Michael Brandsegg-Nygård is feeling much more confident about his game and role with the Detroit Red Wings already one month into the 2026-27 season, and a quick glance at the stat sheet only validates the belief the 21-year-old forward has in himself.

Ahead of Wednesday's NHL slate, Brandsegg-Nygård led all rookies in assists (7), plus-minus (+10) and hits (71) through 16 games. His willingness to use his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame to his advantage is also giving the Red Wings a significant boost, as he was tied with Adam Edstrom for fourth among all NHL skaters in hits behind Kiefer Sherwood (85) of the San Jose Sharks, Yakov Trenin (75) of the Minnesota Wild and Martin Pospisil (73) of the Calgary Flames.

“I just play the way I play,” Brandsegg-Nygård recently told DetroitRedWings.com. “We’ve talked a lot about not losing your guy, and sometimes it’s easier to just crash into him so you know where he is versus just staying away and letting him go through. I also know for myself, it’s always hard to play against someone who is playing hard against you. If we keep going harder on the forecheck and all that stuff, then our defensemen are not going to be afraid to get up with the puck when they have it. We’re trying hard to play that way as a unit too as the season goes.”

Detroit took Brandsegg-Nygård with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft because of traits that can’t be taught – namely the size, impressive shot and ultra-competitive mindset. There’s also plenty Brandsegg-Nygård has had to work on since he joined the organization two years ago, and he stressed the small off-ice stuff matters just as much as the big on-ice stuff.  

“Last year, I learned how everything works around here,” Brandsegg-Nygård said. “For example, things like knowing the drills to even knowing where our meetings are and how those work, all those things make it easier for me to just only think about hockey and not anything else. I’m getting more comfortable ever since I came (to North America).”

In 2025-26, Brandsegg-Nygård was one of three rookies to make the Red Wings’ Opening-Night roster out of Training Camp and totaled one assist in 14 NHL games. He also had 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists) in 60 regular-season contests with the Grand Rapids Griffins, then led Detroit’s American Hockey League affiliate with eight points (four goals, four assists) in eight Calder Cup Playoff outings.

With the benefit of hindsight, logging significant developmental minutes in the AHL and being part of Grand Rapids’ playoff run last spring benefitted Brandsegg-Nygård. But ask any player, and the dream is to be in the NHL.

“I had one goal this summer, and that was to make the team,” Brandsegg-Nygård said. “I want to stay up here. So, I worked a lot on keeping my body as ready as possible and being quicker, because I know how fast the game is up here. It goes so fast back and forth, so I have to always keep my feet moving. I know I have the power and weight on my side, so I was more focused on my speed this summer.”

Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan has been impressed by Brandsegg-Nygård’s willingness to use his body to his advantage this season.

“It’s quite evident that he has that in his game,” McLellan said of Brandsegg-Nygård. “I think I called him a bully a couple weeks ago, and that hasn’t changed one bit. We wanted our team to be heavier and harder to play against, a little more physicality in many different ways. And (Brandsegg-Nygård) has brought that day in and day out, over and over again. And when you see repetition from a player over and over again, it’s part of his game. It’s part of who he is. If you see it randomly, one night of this and another night of that, you’re not sure what you really have, but with (Brandsegg-Nygård), he brings it every night.”

Brandsegg-Nygård’s physicality certainly aids Detroit’s team game and identity-building process, but it matters just as much how the young Norwegian uses it within the systems McLellan wants the group to play in.

“We’re just trying to be a team that’s hard to play against," Brandsegg-Nygård said. “It’s always hard to play against a team that works really hard, plays physical and gets everything to the net. We’re trying really hard to do all of that. It’s nice that everyone is on the same page. I feel I can help in a lot of ways.”

So far, there’s been a lot to like.

“He starts the nights kind of wading in and then as he gets his contact in, or his hits if you want to call them that, he just seems to get better and better and better as the night goes on,” McLellan said. “He’s been real consistent. He’s been able to contribute in all three zones. Power play, he’s been effective there as well, so we’re fortunate to have him and we’re happy for him as well. He’s taking advantage of the opportunity that he’s getting.”