Griffins Coach Says Brandsegg-Nygard Is Ready for Red Wings

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard opened his push for a Detroit Red Wings roster spot Thursday, and he arrived at training camp with an endorsement from his coach in Grand Rapids last season.

"He should be ready, in my opinion," Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson said during the NHL Prospects Tournament. "He was our best player in the playoffs, and he has the ability to play physical hockey."

That matters more than usual this fall. Detroit's interim general manager, Shawn Horcoff, was the Griffins' GM last season, so the executive making the final call already has a full year of viewing on the winger.

Brandsegg-Nygard put up 20 goals and 44 points in 60 AHL games in 2025-26. He also plays heavy, which lines up with two areas Detroit needs to address after finishing 22nd in scoring last season.

He did get a look with the Red Wings early last season and looked overmatched. The demotion worked. By the end of the AHL year he was a noticeably more confident player, which is the point of sending a young European forward down to learn the North American game rather than letting him tread water in a bottom-six NHL role.

On the first day of camp he skated on a line with Carter Mazur and Nate Danielson.

Watson's read on what still needs work was specific.

"He's got a great shot," Watson said. "For Michael, it's going to be consistent on the IQ side of it, the thinking side of it, the pace side of it."

Pace and processing are the two things that separate a 20-goal AHL scorer from an NHL regular, and they are also the two things that tend to arrive last. Camp will tell Detroit whether they have arrived yet.