Red Wings Prospect Paces Norwegian Victory

Detroit Red Wings 2024 top draft pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygard continues to loom large in the red-light district. The player Detroit was choosing 15th overall in the 2024 NHL entry draft was netting a pair of goals as Norway opened the IIHF Olympic qualifying tournament with a 4-2 victory over Japan.

Brandsegg-Nygard tallied a power-play goal that would prove to be the game winner. He’d follow up by adding an insurance marker while at even strength.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (1st round’24) with an absolute rip 🚨 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/Gb3FJWmTaA

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) August 24, 2024

This performance was following up on a strong start to the SHL preseason with Skelleftea in which the 6-foot-1, 198-pound right-winger scored in each of the club’s first two games.

Along with Japan, Norway is in Group F with Great Britain and Denmark. Norway faces Great Britain on Friday with a 9:30 a.m. ET puck drop.

Red Wings 2022 top draftee Marco Kasper and Austria fell 2-1 to Slovakia in their opening Group D match. Kasper was the scorer of Austria’s lone goal. The Austrians play Kazakhstan on Friday at 8 a.m. ET. Hungary is also in this group.

Only the first-place finisher in each group qualifies for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

If you want to catch these future Red Wings in action, you can live stream all of the Olympic qualifiers here.

Former Red Wings Player Moving To Germany

After six seasons playing in the KHL, former Red Wings forward Teemu Pulkkinen will again be wearing wings this season. He’s joining Schwenninger Wild Wings of Germany’s DEL.

“I have heard a lot of good things about German ice hockey,” Pulkkinen said in a release from the team. “I’m looking forward to playing in Wild Wings.”

KHL:ssä viime vuodet kiekkoilut Teemu Pulkkinen jatkaa uraansa Saksan DEL-liigassa.

Schwenninger Wild Wings tiedottaa sopimuksen olevan yksivuotinen.

🇩🇪✍🏻 — #DELfi #KHLfi pic.twitter.com/14CSDGQJ1k

— Miikka Lahtinen (@ladalahtinen) August 28, 2024

Pulkkinen, 32, spent the 2023-24 season with Kunlun Red Star of the KHL. Previously, he’d seen service in the league with Dinamo Minsk, Dynamo Moscow, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Traktor Chelyabinsk. He was the only Finnish player in the KHL last season.

The left-winger spent 70 games with the Red Wings from 2013-16, producing 11-9-20 totals. He also was with the Grand Rapids Griffins for three seasons, winning an AHL Calder Cup title in 2012-13. Pulkkinen counted back-to-back 30+ goal campaigns with the Griffins in 2013-14 and 2014-15.