St. Louis Blues: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, draft portfolio

As the St. Louis Blues locked in several Swedish Hockey League draft picks to entry-level contracts, another skater from the SHL is linked to the St. Louis Blues with the no. 16 selection in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, a native of Norway, has extensive playing time in Sweden at both a professional and junior league level.

“The Blues go back to Sweden after taking three first-round picks from the country at the 2023 draft. Brandsegg-Nygard is a very good skater who is strong on the forecheck and can produce offensive chances from between the dots low in the offensive zone. He would be the first player born in Norway to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft,” wrote Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.

Brandsegg-Nygard played 41 games for the Mora IK, a second-tier league in Sweden. He scored 8 goals, recorded 10 assists and finished with 18 points.

He also fared well in international play this season, representing team Norway, playing in 5 games, scoring 3 goals, and recording 2 assists.

Brandsegg-Nygard, 18 years old, is listed at 6’1” and 198 lbs.

“Michael Brandsegg-Nygård is a gamer. Far from just holding his own, Brandsegg-Nygård bullied his opponents most nights. He went into every retrieval seeking out contact and almost always connected. Thunderous hits sent his opponents flying from the puck, and when he couldn’t overwhelm them with brute force, technique would take its place in the form of reverse hits, subtle jabs at the puck through contact to keep it from his opponent’s stick, or a drive up and through their hands to establish inside positioning,” – Elite Prospects.

Like most skaters at the mid-section of the first-round, Brandsegg-Nygard will require polishing and further development. However, his ability to score makes him such an intriguing prospect.

His performance in the international tournament representing Norway is exactly what GMs are looking for, as he excelled in the spotlight and improved his game in matches that mattered most.

Do the St. Louis Blues return to the SHL for their first-round back? Only time will tell, but Brandsegg-Nygard is an exciting prospect with the skills to become a reliable scorer.