The Detroit Red Wings assigned forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins with an eye on his long-term growth.
There was understandable excitement and anticipation among Detroit Red Wings fans when it was announced earlier this month that rookies Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Emmitt Finnie, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka had all made the final cut thanks to their strong showings in Training Camp and the pre-season.
For Brandsegg-Nygård, he earned his spot on the Opening Night roster by not only bringing an element of size and physicality to the roster, but also demonstrating a scoring touch by leading the Red Wings in pre-season scoring with four goals and three assists.
That scoring touch hasn't exactly translated over into NHL regular season play, as he recorded a single assist along with a minus-five plus-minus rating in nine games while also seeing his average ice time drop.
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Shortly before embarking on their five-game road trip, the Red Wings announced that Brandsegg-Nygård had been re-assigned to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, a move that they feel will pay off in the long run.
"As the games wore on, they got a little bit faster as the league always does, and all of a sudden your confidence erodes a little bit," head coach Todd McLellan explained. "Sometimes the coach loses confidence in you a little bit as your minutes diminish."
"He's a tremendous, young hockey player who'll have the chance to develop down there," he continued. "He'll get a chance to rediscover his confidence and get more minutes and play in prime-time situations. He's great on the power play. He'll learn how to defend a little bit better."
McLellan pointed to Brandsegg-Nygård receiving a reality check in just how fast and skilled the NHL is, and that the offensive chances that seemed plentiful for him during pre-season play were drying up.
"The offensive opportunities he was getting were diminishing a little bit and the game was getting faster and there was the odd play into the middle of the rink which he wasn't doing earlier," he said. "Sometimes you can see it on a young man's face and that's through no fault on his own."
Brandsegg-Nygård was quick to try and make an impact with the Griffins, firing four shots on goal during Tuesday's 4-3 shootout victory over the Iowa Wild.
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