AHL's top scorer John Leonard commends Brandsegg-Nygård's skill and positive locker room presence as the Red Wings prospect rapidly develops.
The Detroit Red Wings surprised many at the start of the season by revealing that three notable rookies would make their opening night roster with Emmitt Finnie, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård.
Fans were most excited to see Sandin-Pellikka and Brandsegg-Nygård as two former first round picks while Finnie emerged as a breakout in the minors due to his relentless work ethic and earned a first line role with Detroit. Finnie and Sandin-Pellikka stayed with the team while Brandsegg-Nygård struggled to produce points early with one assist through nine games and was sent down to join the red hot Grand Rapids Griffins, who were starting the season on a historic run.
Brandsegg-Nygård continued to make an impact at the NHL level with his physical play but the team wanted him to polish parts of his game. So far this season with the Griffins he is quickly developing and building off his early NHL experience. On the AHL season, Brandsegg-Nygård has five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 16 games.
We recently spoke with Brandsegg-Nygård following his demotion to the AHL and the 20-year-old Norwegian said he was thankful for the experience as he did not expect to make the Red Wings out of camp and was just happy to have the opportunity. He noted that he needed to work on adjusting to the speed of the NHL game with both his feet and his reaction time.
Fans often worry about young players losing confidence when they move between leagues, but Brandsegg-Nygård seemed determined and focused on staying positive even during challenging stretches, This approach appears to have worked for him so far with Brandsegg-Nygård breaking out lately with four goals and eight assists for 12 points in his last 11 games. Griffins leading scorer John Leonard recently spoke with The Hockey News about Brandsegg-Nygård’s play and personality in the locker room.
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"I think he's a really good player, obviously extremely skilled, really good with the puck, and can shoot the puck extremely well too. I've played a couple games with him as well on the same line, and he's a really good hockey player now, and he's obviously going to continue to just get better and better as he gets older," Leonard explained on Brandsegg-Nygård. "First time over in the U.S. so he's doing really well, and he's a lot of fun to have in the locker room and joke around with, and he's a really good guy as well."
Leonard has been sensational for Grand Rapids this season with 17 goals and nine assists for 26 points in 17 games and has been another pillar behind the Griffins historic start with a 19-1-0-1 record. Leonard is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday when Grand Rapids hosts the Milwaukee Admirals for the first time this season. Fans can follow the action on 96.1 The Game, WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM, or stream via AHL.TV on FloHockey.tv.
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