Jets bolster forwards group by taking Bjorck eighth overall in NHL Draft

The Winnipeg Jets have selected forward Viggo Bjorck with the eighth-overall pick in the NHL Draft on Friday.

Bjorck, 18, has spent his entire playing career with Djugardens in Sweden, and scored six goals and tallied 15 points in 42 games with Djugardens IF this past season.

Bjorck also scored three goals and added nine points in seven games with Sweden at the World Juniors, helping the team to the gold medal at this year’s tournament alongside second-overall pick Ivar Stenberg.

This is the first time the jets had a choice in the top 10 in an NHL Draft since they selected Patrik Laine with the second-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.

Now Bjorck will be tasked with helping Winnipeg bounce back - in 2024-25, the team took home the Presidents’ Trophy with a 56-22-4 record, but slipped to 35-35-12 this past season and missed the playoffs for just the second time since the 2016-17 draft.