VIGGO BJORCK NHL Draft Prospect Profile

In this episode of The Draft Board Hockey Show, Linc and I talk about one of the top prospects of the 2026 NHL draft, Viggo Bjorck, who plays for Djurgarden in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), as we break down his game and some of his positive and negatives attributes. Is he a top-10 prospect? Let's find out!

Hosts: Mark (NHL Draft Pros) and Linc (New Wave Hockey)

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the draft board hockey show. My name is Mark, and as always, and I'm joined by my co-host Link from New Wave Hockey. What is going on, my friend?

SPEAKER_01 0:13

Not much, not much. We're doing good. Uh a little bit of a break going on, but the the NCAA championships are coming up. I'm getting excited. I'm getting fired up. But before all that, me and Mark are gonna be potentially meeting up. You know, maybe there'll be a solo episode. We'll see what happens there.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Um, maybe a live episode from Brampton, Ontario, against the Caleb Mountre yet. We might be able to see uh Caleb, a potential top five pick this year, which would be a lot of fun, yes. So hopefully next weekend we can meet up. Actually, this week I got uh a lot of hockey to uh to see. I'm going to the Windsor Spitfires and the Sioux Greyhounds. We got Chase Reed in the house, and then London is in town on Sunday. And that is uh I want to see, I want to check out this Jackson cover kid. I want to I want to see what's uh is he a first rounder? With a lot of a lot of new rankings have him in the in the mix for round number one. So uh yeah, maybe some potential um nice live viewings. Looking forward to that. How about you? Any uh any viewings on the horizon besides potentially Brampton?

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Potentially Brampton. That's my next one. I'm actually going home for the weekend. Uh, I've been up here for too long, get get to see my family, which will be pretty nice. Um, but I'll be plugging away at those virtual viewings right now. I've got a couple of guys that I gotta get out and sh and uh ship out ship away. I'm I'm I'm watching a bunch of USHL right now, which I'm just like, oh man. But you know, we'll see what happens. There, there are some guys there. We'll we'll eventually get to them. But there's some guys in the USHL, but today we're talking about somebody from Sweden, somebody I haven't seen in a minute, but I did see almost over a year ago, Vigo Bjork. Oh my goodness, what a firecracker this kid is.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

I love this guy. Hey, we've been we've been hyping him since the world juniors, I mean before the world juniors, but world juniors was like his kind of whatever you want to describe it, but yeah, he was. I just loved how he played at the world juniors. It kind of showed that he could stick with the uh big boys, and uh yeah, so we're we're gonna talk about Vigo Bjork today. Let me put down, let's talk about first the statistics. He is a five foot ten, 170-pound, can play the wing or center, and this year in the SHL, in this draft year, 13 points in 40 games, five goals, eight assists. Yes. Um, he's not popping off like Stenberg. However, however, I do love his overall game.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Absolutely. This guy is a menace in all three zones. I think that was the best highlighted in the world juniors. I think it's it's not it's important not to take away too much from a inner from one international tournament. He played only seven games there, but in those seven games, he was really incredible, putting up nine points in those seven games, uh, and really showing that he was potentially the best player on Sweden's roster. We were seeing what Vigo Bjork can become once he bulks up, gets a little bit stronger, gets a little bit more comfortable playing against men. He's really shown he's really shown so many strides at this level. I think it's important not just to look at the the point level, because the point level right now for a 17-year-old, he turns 18 tomorrow. So I guess he's gonna be 18 by the time this comes out. But uh the the the level of just impressiveness uh that he's shown and being also a first-line center in the SHL for a couple of games, he's been playing legit minutes up there in Sweden's top league. This is all incredible. This is all incredible. This is all very, very incredible. Uh but again, he's five foot nine, so it's very, very tough to really gauge out and really call. Like it's it's really just it's tough to project him a little bit now because we're seeing all these incredible things and they seem almost too good to believe. I I have no choice but to just disregard the height entirely and just believe in what I'm seeing. Because what he's showing is a really mature, really intelligent game, really high motor, very good and translatable stuff, too. And he's got a bit of bite to his game, Mark. Isn't he a bit mean as well? I I kind of like how how well he handles himself in the defensive zone, despite having just the size disadvantage in most examples.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Oh, like he he battles. Like that's one thing that you gotta give Vigo Bjord. He is not afraid to get in the mix, and you love to see that, especially in a smaller player, right? And you know, we think of years past, and so in terms of draft rankings, I just want to deviate for a second here. Do you assume he's gonna drop? Because you know, right now, ranking-wise, there's some pundits that have him in you know, top 10, top 15 kind of range, but realistically, he's gonna drop. You you you look at years past with smaller players who have dropped. I mean, you know, Logan Stankoven, uh even Zach Benson, you know, the these kind of players, even though they they they got some you know, offensive upside, they got a little bite to their game, but they still tend to drop a little bit in terms of rankings. So you think that this is gonna happen to Vigo Bjork?

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Well, I'll tell you what, Vigo is is no Zach Benson. Okay, he's he's not gonna be he he's not gonna be uh he's not gonna be, I guess, is like kind of he doesn't have as much of a flawed resume going into this this this uh this draft cycle, which makes it even tougher. I really see him as a top 10 prospect because I I I believe at the end of the day, in 10 years' time, people are gonna look back at this draft and see Vigo Bjork as someone who is one of the 10 best players in this draft. However, he might go the way of Victor Eklund. He might end up landing in the 15, 16 slot, the middle of the first round. Uh, and that that's fine. That works. Uh, I don't think he should get past the top 20. I don't think he will. Uh but this is a very special player. This is a guy who is showing center traits at the size that he is already at, but is kind of overcoming that size. He's playing conversely, he's showing that he can play in a men's league, even though he's the size that he is. I think he's absolutely shown that he is a player worth being taken in the top 10. But again, NHL teams just being what they are. You know, there's gonna be a bunch of guys who are a lot more tall, a lot bigger, a lot more physical, uh, a little bit better with scoring in men's leagues, maybe, or scoring in juniors leagues. I really don't know who they're gonna take above Vigo Bjork, but there will be some names that we're gonna be we're gonna be there on draft night, be like, I wonder why he hasn't gone yet. You know, that's gonna be us at that point. But um so far, from everything that I've heard, from every person that I've been able to talk to, um, either at the World Juniors or at other events, uh everyone's blown away by this kid. I would be remiss if I said I wasn't too. I I had kind of a a shock come over me as I did my midseason rankings and he was top 10, but I don't regret it in the slightest. And I think I think I feel really, really good about keeping him in top 10 in the final rankings.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Yeah, I I still kind of uh you know, in terms of rankings, yeah, I I love everything about his game and like the world juniors kind of solidified it for me. But draft day, I mean, I don't know, you know. Unfortunately, some teams are they're gonna you know choose size over you know his because he's a little bit undersized, they'll they'll go with someone a little bit bigger, and but yeah, ranking-wise, I'm trying to think if I have him in my top 10. I think I do, and uh, I like everything about his game, and you gotta remember, you know, you talk about point production last year in his D minus one season, he had the best under 17 season of all time, all time in the J20 in Sweden. So, you know, that in itself shows that he does have the offensive chops in terms of you know points and stuff like that. You talked about Zach Benson, he did in his draft year in the WHL. But yeah, I think you know, and he's got a little grit to his game. Like he's not and when he played at the World Juniors, you gotta remember he was on a power play, he was on penalty kill, you know, those hard minutes like they depended on him, and he was consistent throughout the tournament. You know, Stenberg kind of rose to the occasion in the uh medal round. However, Bjork was there the whole time. He was he was consistent the whole tournament, he was one of their best players, and so yeah, you know what? It's it's gonna be sad if he drops a little bit. Um, but I think that any team that kind of takes a chance on him, you're gonna get you're gonna land a top quality prospect. I love Vigo Bjork. That's my that's my kind of player.

SPEAKER_01 8:39

I think the types of players you have to look at here when we're looking at Vigo Bjork are guys who, well, first of all, to establish he is someone who has a long track record of being a prolific scorer at multiple levels. Like we said with the J20 record last year, he's putting up points this year in the SHL. Is he going to be what kind of a points player are we looking at here? I really don't know. Maybe he could pop out top out at like 70 points, 60 points, but you pay a premium for that as an NHL team. So would I. That sounds like a top 10 pick to me, especially in a draft like this where it's not exactly guaranteed from a lot of the forward prospects here outside of the obvious number one and number two picks of this draft. The defensemen are pretty good in this draft, but uh I feel like if you can find an offensively driven center who excels in all three areas of the ice physical, uh, and also has been matching players physically in a men's league playing every single game and earning more and more minutes, it just makes so much sense to me that he would be a player that uh would become more and more coveted by NHL teams. I look at him and I think some good examples of players who are gritty, uh, guys who are very hardworking and also pretty intelligent players in their own right while being good scorers. Look at a guy like Logan Stankhoven. I know this was like a we use it as an example of a guy who's fallen, but look at what he's done in Carolina. Look at what he was doing in Dallas. He is establishing himself as a really solid playoff contributor on a good team. I think if he's on a lesser team than Carolina and in a system that promotes more offense, you're seeing a player who's consistently going to hit up, uh hit 60, 60 points every year. I think Vigo Bjork can be a little bit better than that. And he plays a center position, he plays it pretty well. So I think that's a very good measuring stick for him. Um, I I really like uh where he's going and what he can be doing. And yeah, I think I think that's a top 10 prospect all day.

SPEAKER_00 10:34

Yeah, you know what? It's uh yeah, this is this is a this is a tough, tough situation in terms of you know where he goes come draft day. And that's one of the things. But um now any concerns with his skating? I mean, he's not it's not like he's a super speedster for his size. He he does get around well, don't get me wrong. Like I said, in terms of you know the mechanics and stuff like that, he looks really good. However, he he doesn't pop off as one of those really you know flies around there, I guess you could say, super, super speedy kind of little guy.

SPEAKER_01 11:04

Yeah, and that was something that I initially had a concern about watching him skate over in Europe, obviously, because it's bigger ice, you're able to create more separation as well. But one of the things that I paid attention to in Minnesota is how well he was able to create separation for himself. He's a very good player on his edges. He does not have amazing straight line speed, and he doesn't get the most out of his stride, obviously, in those straight line moments. He's not going to generate the speed that other players do. However, he doesn't necessarily need to. In the offensive zone, he's already shifty enough. He's already able to make those plays enough and well enough and be elusive enough in those uh possessions. He's able to cover a large area of ice, especially for a five foot nine player. That's very difficult to do. He was on the penalty kill for Sweden at the World Juniors. That I I I I I stress enough, you have you got to go watch and go back and watch the penalty kills. He's zipping around the defensive zone, trying to cover every single area of the ice, and he blocks shots too. This is something that we have not seen from a diminutive player before. Someone who does all of the things and he's still not even gonna hit the top 10, which is like kind of well, the he's still not even gonna hit the top five. Maybe hit he hits the top 10. Um, but for me, skating is not a concern. I think he's gonna be able to become a faster player as he develops and gets a bit stronger. But he's able to be as crafty, uh, he's able to be super crafty and super reliable as is already. What can he do with some strength training, some more years in the SHL, some more beatings that he takes from there as well, but then coming over and playing in in the AHL, the NHL, he's going to be able to get a lot better. I I really have a lot of confidence in his ability to improve. He's shown at every level that he can dominate offensively, and then once that he gets once he gets up to the men's league, he completely switch switches the script and he plays a very solid two-way game. So I I'm completely bought and sold for V Gub York. I'm I'm very, very uh, I'm I'm I'm bought. Uh he he's a very intelligent player. Um, I I really love him. So I I'm a big fan.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Yeah, I think you know, the with that type of player, you're kind of you know that you're safe, that he can play like a top six, even a middle six role. So it's not like he's kind of reserved for if he's not in a top six, then he can't play because he's got that grit and he's pretty tough. And like you said, if he gets a little bit stronger, a little bit bigger, a little bit more mass, um, I think that he could play middle six role no problem, which is nice, right? Because and then you can depend on him on PP and PK. I mean PK. Yeah, so I yeah, that's what that's he's a safe player in terms of you know NHL projection.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

He doesn't have to be the most relied upon guy, too. He is going to be a support player, he's not someone who's going to be driving the play every single time. He can be that middle six center that you're relying on to play those crucial minutes. He can play on the second power play and do a very good job on it. Can he play a first power play? Sure he can. Um, and the penalty kill as well. Like he is a very mobile player who's going to cover a lot of ice just from his high motor and work ethic. This is a guy who can really do it all and become a safety valve for you. So it's weird to call a five-foot player a safety pick, but that's kind of what he is at the end of the day.

unknown 14:21

All right.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

So you know what? Let's let's let's check out some uh rankings that are out there right now. So we got Vigo Bjork. This is who is this one there? Corey Prahn. Corey Proman. So we got him. So Cory Pronman has a 12, which is not terrible. It's not a bad uh not a bad ranking.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

But then there's Marcus Normark over him. I I get the kill of my whole trip being over him.

SPEAKER_00 14:46

Yeah, okay. I guess it's context. We need context here, right?

SPEAKER_01 14:49

Yeah, I'm showing the context here. Like obviously, there's some defensemen over him as well, like Carroll's Stenborg, or let's do forward. Yeah. Um, but Daxon Rudolph, Ethan Belchez, uh Tynan Lawrence, even as well. Marcus Normark is the most surprising to me, actually.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

I don't I yeah, it's just above him there at 11. So yeah, that that one might be a little bit let's see. Uh, what about uh let's go with uh talking about the athletic? Let's hit Scott Wheeler, see where he's got him, just out of curiosity. He's got him nine. Okay, so we got yeah, so Scott Wheeler from the Athletic has him nine. And so that's you know, we're talking top 10 rankings right here. So yeah, that's uh that's kind of so yeah. So I mean, you know what? So I think he's gonna float around in that uh, you know. Yeah, he will be able to float.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

He'll be able to float around there. I think closer to draft time, people are gonna drop him to like the 12, 13 part. I I still think that he can finish top 10. I really do. So that's I I think other people are seeing what I'm seeing. Um, everyone that I talked to was blown away by him. Uh, I talked to I was again, I was next to Cam Robinson, Stephen Ellis at the World Juniors. Those two were like, yeah, this kid is unbelievable. And like I even said it at some point. I was like, he's been Sweden's best player at times, and they weren't willing to go there. But I I I fully believe, I fully believe it. But like he he really was he was really playing up to the level really, really well.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

It's a 17-year-old, 17, noticeable, very noticeable, more than noticeable.

SPEAKER_01 16:22

He was the biggest player, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:24

Yeah, like consistency noticeable too. And you know why then, like you said, what what's what he's doing in the SHL is nothing to be frowned upon, especially and he's playing on a really good team. Playing on a really good team in your gardens, right? I mean, it's not like yeah, it's yeah, I you got I love this guy. You know what? Like I said, if um it's another player where because of his size he might drop, but uh in my opinion, Vigo Bjork, he is just a little firecracker on the ice. I love his games, got some offensive chops. What's not to love about that kind of player, Link?

SPEAKER_01 16:55

What do you think? I got nothing. I got nothing. He's fantastic. I've I've I've I've said everything I've needed to say so far.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

All right, are you ready? Are you ready? Like potentially, we're gonna have some Caesars and some uh poutines when you come down to Canada. I'm gonna show you the way, yeah. I'm gonna show you the way. I'm gonna do some research to find out what's in the power. Poutine might be. Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

We'll see. We'll see. I I I'm expecting good poutine, so I'll definitely need that.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

Great poutine, not good poutine, great poutine. All right, I think that covers it for this episode. Uh, as always, everyone, thanks for watching. We appreciate all the time you spend with us, and uh, we'll see you soon, I guess, right, Link.

SPEAKER_01 17:33

Yep, we'll see you very soon. Cheers.