Detroit Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka might plan to play this season with Skelleftea in the Swedish Hockey League, but that isn’t stopping him from putting the focus on his future with Detroit.
First reported by Swedish outlet Norran and translated by X account IceHockeyGifs, Sandin Pellikka will attend Red Wings training camp in Traverse City from Sept. 19 to 23. His Skelleftea teammate, 2024 Detroit first rounder Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, will also attend training camp as previously reported.
Jun 28, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Detroit Red Wings draft pick Axel Sandin Pellikka puts on his sweater after being selected with the seventeenth pick in round one of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
It’s unusual for players in the SHL to cross the Atlantic for NHL training camps. The league’s season usually starts in mid-September, with August serving as a month full of its own training camps. At surface level, the plan is for Sandin Pellikka and Brandsegg-Nygard to work through training camp with Skelleftea, come to training camp for Detroit, then go back and play in Sweden.
It’s generous to Detroit for Skelleftea to allow these prospects to do this given how rare such a move is for one player, let alone two the organizations share. Skelleftea is aiming to defend its SHL championship this season, and losing two players for a significant portion of the early schedule isn’t a move most organizations would willingly make.
Sandin Pellikka is a big part of Skelleftea’s blue line, having won the Salming Award for the SHL’s top Swedish defenseman last season. Brandsegg-Nygard is one of the team’s big acquisitions among young players, having played well for Mora IK last season before transferring.
This talent also means that Detroit wants them to get to the NHL at their peak abilities, and attending training camp is a good practice rep for them to visualize the gap between their abilities and those of the everyday NHLer. It also allows the Red Wings to see whether a move to Grand Rapids might be worthwhile for either player, as has been theorized with Brandsegg-Nygard.
Regardless, training camp will see a few unexpected faces try out for the Red Wings roster, even if their 2024-25 season is planned elsewhere. Sandin Pellikka and Brandsegg-Nygard should be interesting to watch come September, and wherever they play their season at.
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