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For years, the Detroit Red Wings have lacked a top-six winger who combines physical play with puck skill—someone who can both protect the puck and wear down opponents. This season, rookie Michael Brandsegg-Nygård has stepped up to fill that void.
The Norwegian forward made his NHL debut last year but struggled early in the 2025-26 campaign, going scoreless in his first month. The Red Wings' management decided to send him to the AHL to refine his game for North American play.
"He had the tools we talked about earlier, but things were happening really fast for him, both offensively and defensively," head coach Todd McLellan said before Detroit's Nov. 5 matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights. "Just needed more time, marinate a little bit more and get the confidence level up and do things a little bit quicker and we're seeing it happen now for him."
After earning a spot on the opening night roster once again, Brandsegg-Nygård has solidified his place in the lineup for the foreseeable future. He scored his first NHL goal in his fourth game of the season and has become a key contributor to Detroit's offense.
Through 17 games, the rookie has recorded 10 points, tied for fifth on the team, including four separate two-point performances. But his most significant impact has come physically.
Brandsegg-Nygård Delivering Big Hits
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound forward has dished out 75 hits in 17 games, ranking in the top five among all NHL skaters. According to ProHockeyReference, that pace projects to 375 hits over an 84-game season, which would surpass Cal Clutterbuck's rookie record of 356 hits set in 2009 with the Minnesota Wild.
"Hopefully if I get them pretty hard, they recognize me for the next time I'm getting to them. So maybe they throw away a puck or 2," Brandsegg-Nygård told the media after the Red Wings' victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 29.
Since the league began tracking hits in 2005-06, Brandsegg-Nygård is the first NHL player to record 69+ hits and 10+ points in his first 15 games of a season, per Logan Reever of Yahoo Sports.
McLellan is instilling a new identity in Detroit, and Brandsegg-Nygård has been bullying opponents into taking notice. Earning that kind of buy-in from a young player isn't always guaranteed, but the rookie forward has consistently shown that he and the rest of Detroit's young core are ready to set a new tone in Hockeytown.
"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," Brandsegg-Nygård said in a recent interview with DetroitRedWings.com.
Matchup with MacKinnon
That mindset will be tested in the team's next game against Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche, who enter the matchup on a two-game losing streak. The last year's Rocket Richard Trophy winner will be eager to apply pressure on Detroit's defense.
"Like we talk about Brandsegg-Nygård being a bully. [MacKinnon] is a bully that scores 50. Maybe Brands will get there one day, but this is a bully that scores 50 and he can flat out fly," McLellan said.
McLellan saw MacKinnon up close during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey when he coached Team North America's "Young Guns." The comparison carries weight, especially from a coach who once mentored Connor McDavid early in his NHL career.
Originally reported by yahoo.