Norwegian draft prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygård has one trait the Flyers like: Grit

Fourth in a seven-part series highlighting players the Flyers might select in the first round of the NHL draft on June 28 in Las Vegas.

Oslo may be the home of the Nobel Peace Center, but don’t expect Michael Brandsegg-Nygård to be Mr. Nice Guy.

The Norwegian grew up in the capital city and is a self-described two-way power forward who is known for his thunderous hits and being a tough, physical player. He likes to crash into the slot and lay a heavy shot on goal. Eight of his 18 points in 41 regular-season games this past season and four of his 10 points in 12 qualification games for Mora IK, which plays in Sweden’s second-tier league, were goals.

And then there’s this.

“I’ve always tried to get in the other [players’] heads,” he said.

Oh. So he likes to get under people’s skin? He likes to be a — let’s use the word pest?

“Yeah, that’s fair. And I know where the line is too,” he said. “Sometimes I crossed the line, but I know where the line is to not take penalties. Yeah, and stuff like that. So I tried to hold it on the good side.”

A power forward with an edge who has a strong defensive game sounds like a solid combination for the Flyers at the No. 12 spot in the draft. As Corey Pronman of The Athletic told The Inquirer, there is “nothing about his game that is high-end,” but he’s a “very well-rounded” player. The draft insider projects him to be a top-six winger in the NHL.

“My dad has always said to me, the only thing he wants me to do is just try to work hard at every practice and every game — even though maybe, the skills and the shots and the puck control isn’t going your way, you can always give 100%,” the 6-foot-1, 198 pound Norwegian said. “And I think with doing that I have tried to develop everything. Everything is easier when you have speed and try to work hard so it feels like you get more time when you have the puck.”

» READ MORE: Flyers draft: Prospect Berkly Catton may not be big, but ‘my brain is bigger.’ And he can score.

Brandsegg-Nygård’s father isn’t a bad guy to listen to. Kjell Richard Nygaard played for years with Vålerenga, the top team in EliteHockey Ligaen, the premier Norwegian ice hockey league. He also suited up for Norway internationally, skating in seven World Championships, and would often take a young Brandsegg-Nygård to Jordal Amfi, the rink the team used to use that is a 10-minute drive east from the Nobel Peace Center.

Every time he was at the rink, everyone knew who the proud papa was and it left a lasting impression on the youngster he coached through U12. Brandsegg-Nygård did follow in his father’s footsteps, playing in eight games for Vålerenga in 2021-22 after making his way through the junior ranks.

For the last two seasons, Brandsegg-Nygård, 18, lived in Sweden, playing for Mora IK in the junior and senior divisions, making his Allsvenskan debut a week after turning 17 in October 2022. The following year, he notched a pair of goals and had five points in five games to help Norway earn its promotion to the 2024 World Junior Championship for the first time in 10 years. At the tournament, he notched five points (three goals, two assists) in five games while averaging 17 minutes, 22 seconds of ice time.

“Extremely well-rounded player and viewed as arguably the most competitive forward in the draft,” The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler told The Inquirer, noting a trait that Flyers coach John Tortorella likes in his draft picks. “A very physical player [who] gets after it on the forecheck and on the cycle [and] has played against men. … He just looks like an NHL hockey player. He plays the game the right way, that sort of classic cliché, but that’s Brandsegg-Nygård. He’s just a competitor.”

» READ MORE: NHL draft: Carter Yakemchuk, a scoring blueliner with grit, is on the Flyers’ radar

Although his favorite player is Alexander Ovechkin, Brandsegg-Nygård also has taken a keen interest in his countryman, Mats Zuccarello. The Minnesota Wild forward is also an Oslo native and is the most successful of the nine players from Norway who have donned an NHL jersey. Brandsegg-Nygård said it “was one of the coolest things” to skate with Zuccarello at the World Championships in May. The third youngest player there — his teammate and fellow draft-eligible defenseman Stian Solberg and Konsta Helenius of Finland were younger — Brandsegg-Nygård notched five points (three goals, two assists) in seven games. All three of his goals were assisted by Zuccarello.

Brandsegg-Nygård now has a chance to be the highest-drafted Norwegian in NHL history next Friday. Marius Holtet was selected 42nd overall in 2002; Zuccarello was undrafted.

“It has been my [dream] since I was almost born,” he said from Skellefteå where he will be suiting up next season for the city’s team in Sweden’s highest men’s league. “I can speak for myself that Mats Zuccarello, he has been a big role model for me and a big motivation for me to keep going and reach my dream so I can do that for [the next] generation now that’s coming.”