Austin Watson may never wear a Detroit Red Wings uniform ever again, but that won't stop him from delivering some interesting assessments for players who will wear the Winged Wheel full-time in the future.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is destined to be a full-timer in Hockeytown after he got his first taste with the big club this season. Even if he couldn't stick with them after putting up just one point in nine games, players like Watson have noticed Brandsegg-Nygard's talent and tenacious play, and he delivered an interesting line to describe the rookie.
Tyler Kuehl of Daily Faceoff reported that Watson said, “He does such a good job of not letting a ton phase him. He’s kind of a bull in a China shop. He gets a lot done, and he’s got such a great frame. I think he understands the pro game…He’s only going to get better, too.”
"A bull in a China shop" was a hilarious, but accurate take regarding Brandsegg-Nygard. And it was something we had seen from him during his nine-game stint with the Red Wings when Brandsegg-Nygard established himself as a hard hitter while playing primarily lower-line minutes, landing 28 body checks.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard could turn into a complete player for the Detroit Red Wings
While Brandsegg-Nygard's minus-5 rating, 1.7 on-ice shooting percentage, and 79.3 on-ice save percentage at even strength all showed us that he could use more time in the minors, there were some positives about his game. One was his remarkable 59.8 Corsi For percentage. Not a bad number at all, considering his offensive zone starts landed at just 52.1 percent.
It's not just Brandsegg-Nygard's solid 6'1, 207 lbs frame and tenacity, He's finding his rhythm in Grand Rapids, with two goals and three points in six games. While those numbers put him on a trajectory for between 33 and 34 points in 67 contests, Brandsegg-Nygard will probably find his flow and end up with more than that as he gets more acclimated to the pro game.
He was taking over preseason games in September, and that's something you can expect to see flashes of in Grand Rapids. This makes him one of those prospects who, when given adequate time, will end up playing, at worst, a role as a third-line winger for Detroit, who by that point will have a core experienced enough to be perennial playoff contenders.
In the short term, he will keep being that "bull in a China shop" over in Grand Rapids, playing a physical game, creating scoring chances, and putting up respectable numbers. Expect takes similar to what Watson had for Brandsegg-Nygard as his odyssey in the AHL continues, and he will keep being one of the more exciting prospects in the Red Wings' system.