Nature Calls, Red Wings Prospect Misses Bus

Evidently, when the team was stopping for lunch at a restaurant en route to the game, Brandsegg-Nygard was left behind.

Lars Lindberg, a commentator for Sweden’s TV4, was explaining the mishap during the broadcast of the game.

“When Skelleftea stopped and had lunch at a hotel in Ornskoldsvik, the bus went to the arena when they realized they were missing someone,” Swedish website Aftonbladet reported Lindberg’s explanation. “They had forgotten Michael Brandsegg-Nygard at a lunch restaurant or the hotel if you will.

‘So the bus driver kindly had to go back and pick him up because he had been forgotten. Or if he was on the toilet. It’s a bit unclear, but he made it to the game anyway.”

Brandsegg-Nygard, Skelleftea Struggling

Skelleftea, the reigning SHL champions, fell 4-3 to MoDo. It was their third successive team as they were tumbling to fifth place in the standings.

Brandsegg-Nygard, Detroit’s 15th overall selection in the first round of the 2024 NHL entry draft, was choosing to return to play in Sweden after attending Red Wings training camp. The Detroit brass was leaning toward putting their top pick in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Early returns are that is isn’t working out well for him. Brandsegg-Nygard is pointless in three SHL games. Saturday, the Norwegian winger was skating 13:57 on Skelleftea’s third line.

For Axel Sandin Pellikka, the other Detroit first-round pick on the Skelleftea roster, things continue to add up nicely. The defenseman chosen 17th overall in the 2023 draft was accounting for one of his team’s goals on Saturday.

Sandin Pellikka is showing 4-6-10 totals through 11 games. That’s good for second on the team in scoring. It also tops all SHL defensemen.