Future Vision: Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and the makings of a modern power forward

Norway's best-known player, Mats Zuccarello wasn't drafted, instead entering the NHL as a free agent in 2009. 

It's a fitting exclamation point on the draft history for Norwegian players. 

Since 2013, only five Norwegian players have been drafted and none of them were in the first three rounds. The country doesn't have a first-round pick in it's history, with Marius Holtet, a 42nd-overall pick by the Dallas Stars in 2002, currently holding the title of highest-drafted Norwegian player of all time.

This is set to change in 2024 with Michael Brandsegg-Nygård poised to establish himself as the best prospect Norway has ever produced. 

Brandsegg-Nygård's decision to join Sweden's Mora IK for the 2022–2023 season proved to be highly rewarding. The six-foot-one winger established himself as the stand