NHL Draft Notebook: Helenius, Brandsegg-Nygard and Solberg Compete at Men’s Worlds

NHL draft expert Tony Ferrari shares his findings on Konsta Helenius, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Stian Solberg at the World Championship.

With the IIHF men’s World Championship underway, there are always a few notable NHL draft-eligible players who get one final chance to showcase their game.

It’s an excellent opportunity for those players to showcase how their game translates against pro-level competitors, and it gives NHL scouts a glimpse into just how close these guys are to hockey's top league.

At this year's World Championship, the three big names among NHL draft eligibles are Finnish center Konsta Helenius and the duo from Norway, winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and defenseman Stian Solberg. 

With the hype from the recent play of the two Norwegians, there is a legitimate chance we will see all three of them go in the top 20 of the 2024 NHL draft in June.

I have been opening up my personal scouting notebook throughout the year to give you a look into my process of evaluating players. Today’s peek behind the curtains is a look at this trio at the men’s World Championship and how they looked in games from the tournament.

May 14, 2024, vs. Denmark (WC) - After a season of playing against men at the Allsvenskan level, Michael Bransegg-Nygard has looked comfortable at the World Championship with Norway. 

In this game against Denmark, he consistently displayed his strength and ability to win pucks in 50/50 battles, battle for and establish position in front of the net and play a steady defensive game.

His presence around the net got under the skin of the Danes early and often. He was on the doorstep of the crease, awaiting any rebound or looking to provide a screen to take away the netminder's eyes. 

When he wasn’t the first man in on the forecheck, he supported his teammate hunting the puck and then drove the net to establish position. 

He did an excellent job of battling for position with his stick, lifting his opponents' sticks to clear room for his.

When Brandsegg-Nygard was the first man in on the forecheck, he made the defenseman’s life tough by laying the body and forcing them into decisions. He knew where his support was and forced the defenseman into making a play in that direction. 

He also showed excellent cycle work, using his body to shield the puck, work up the boards and then feed a teammate either down the boards or toward the middle of the ice.

Brandsegg-Nygard a keen understanding of how to find space and settle down. He regularly shot from the slot or just inside the faceoff dots. While a couple were blocked, he did get some to the net.

He scored on a nice one-timer as he came in as the trailer. As one defender receded to the net front and the puck carrier pulled the other wide, Brandsegg-Nygard filtered in behind the mess, getting behind the backchecking forward and unloading a heavy one-time blast that wound up in the back of the net. 

His ability to find space in the offensive zone allowed him to use his heavy release multiple times in this game, including on the game’s opening goal.

Brandsegg-Nygard wasn’t the primary puck carrier in transition on his line,, but he presented himself as an outlet. When he did carry the puck, there were a few times when he showed some nice hands and good evasive skating.

Overall, this was an excellent game and showcased a little bit of everything from Brandsegg-Nygard. He is an excellent two-way player who does everything you want from a pro. 

His offensive development will dictate how high he ultimately plays in an NHL lineup. If he can continue to grow as he did in the second half of the year, he could be an effective top-six winger.

May 13, 2024, vs. Norway (WC) - The contrast in Helenius’ game at the men’s World Championship vs. the U-18s was immediately detectable when watching the Finns play Norway. 

Helenius was relegated to a depth role and didn’t play a shift in the third period due to some ineffective play and the Finns seemingly leaning on experience, which has always been a big factor for them internationally.

Helenius had a few good shifts throughout this game and didn’t have any really bad ones, but there were a couple of times when he didn’t have the strength in board battles or when trying to win loose pucks. That said, Helenius knew where to go throughout the game and consistently tried to do what he should be doing.

Helenius certainly wasn’t slow – his skating looked on par with most players on the ice. He did seem to wait for the game to come to him, though, looking to react to the play rather than dictate play.

His scoring chances came on the rush with three attempts on net, all from low danger. His best chance came when he didn’t rush to shoot the puck from well on the outside, but as he tried to lean inside, the defender rode him down, and Helenius got a shot off from the bottom of the faceoff circle before toe-picking and falling by the end boards.

His passing was a much stronger trait in this game, making smart passes to the middle of the ice and looking for teammates in transition when he was closed in on. Helenius also presented himself as a breakout pass option for his defensemen.

Defensively, he continued to battle for loose pucks and put in an honest effort despite being often overpowered along the boards. He was in position to corral loose pucks when shots went wide or a rebound was given up.

Helenius played a smart, positionally sound defensive game. But much like the offensive end, strength was a weak point. Helenius looked to be in over his head in this game, but he still displayed some of the smart habits and solid playmaking.

The coaching staff seemed to feel he wasn’t being effective despite those habits and benched him for the third period, which may have been warranted. He has time to earn more of a role in the lineup as the tournament goes on, but his physical immaturity may hold him back.

May 10, 2024, vs. Switzerland (WC) - While the base of Solberg’s game remains his physicality and defensive ability, we have seen his willingness to participate on the breakout, make efficient passes up ice and use his skating to make an impact as a support player in the offensive zone.

He made much smarter reads in this game while maintaining an aggressive edge. He stepped up in the neutral zone a few times, getting to loose pucks and pumping them back deep in the offensive zone or chipping the puck to a teammate up the boards. There were a couple of times in which he stepped up and threw a solid hit in the neutral zone, timing his hits perfectly so that they did not arrive before the puck got to his target.

In the offensive zone, he reacted quickly and charged up the wall to keep the puck in. Solberg showed some very good passing ability, but he wasn’t doing anything incredibly dynamic. He is a smart, simple playmaker who will look to his defense partner or down to the half wall before firing a puck into the slot.

In the defensive zone, Solberg showed some very good habits around his own net. He boxed out to keep his goalie's vision clean and tied up sticks when he was engaged in a battle. He consistently scanned the ice in the defensive zone.

He never really got out of position, doing a good job of defending himself from the middle and out. 

Considering Solberg skates well, has some size and has shown development with the puck on his stick throughout the year, he could be a legitimately solid pickup in the late first round. His offensive game will likely never pop, but his defensive game should.

Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here.