How many times have we seen a random European player that nobody had ever heard of get signed to an NHL contract only to get a few NHL games, or toil in the minors until they headed back to Europe before anybody really noticed?
I can definitely think of a few (Ilari Melart, Oleg Yevenko, Jacob Lilja, Mikko Lehtenen), and I honestly thought that Marcus Bjork would be added to the list. While in the end, that could very well still be the case, he has already exceed my expectations as an undrafted free agent signing from Sweden.
Bjork got his first opportunity like many other rookies this year due to injuries. To say he didn’t play that bad is actually quite the understatement. He made his debut on November 12th on Long Island against the New York Islanders. In his first 10 games, he posted 5 points (2G, 3A) including a goal in his first ever game, becoming the 7th player in franchise history to score a goal in their NHL debut.
A 27 point season is nothing to sneeze at for a player brand new to the North American style of play. Sure there were times when he looked overmatched or made a bad read, but that would be expected of any rookie. Bjork was also a steady presence on the Monsters back-end, suiting up and eating big minutes in 44 games in Cleveland, putting up 15 points (7g 8a).
He had an impressive North American debut for sure. He will be 25 years old next season, so he’s actually older or of similar age to much of the Jackets current defensive corps. With the added depth acquired by Kekalainen, I wonder how far down Bjork now sits on the depth chart. He needs to establish himself in the NHL quickly if he wants to remain in North America, and as of now, his opportunity in Columbus has all but disappeared barring another year of catastrophic injuries.
2022-23 Stats:
Games: 33
Goals: 3
Assists: 8
Points: 11
Plus/Minus: -9
PIM: 22
5v5 Corsi%: 48.1
5v5 Fenwick%: 47.4
Off Zone Start %: 50.8
Contract:
Bjork signed a one-year entry-level contract last summer and is currently an RFA. There is no doubt the Jackets would like to bring him back as some cheap depth on defense, but he has a choice to make as to whether he’s willing to play in the AHL, or if he wants to try his luck elsewhere or back in Europe. I’d love to see him stick around as he will be a big factor for the Monsters if he opts to re-up with the Blue Jackets.
High Point:
Scoring a goal in your debut is hard to top, but Bjork marked his first multi-point game just prior to the Christmas break against the Chicago Blackhawks. Yes it was a 5-2 loss, but he was the team’s best defenseman by a long shot (probably not saying much), and played a role in both goals scored that night.
Low Point:
Once again, its hard to find a low point for a player who wasn’t even supposed to be on the NHL roster. If I had to choose, I’d say it was his final stretch of games to end the year. In his last 12 games of the year he had just a single point. In the penultimate game of Bjork’s season, an 8-1 pounding by the New Jersey Devils, he committed three minor penalties, capped off by a game misconduct.
Report Card:
B
I mean come on, who expected to even be reading a report card for Marcus Bjork this year?
The fact that he has one is a win for him. His season is kind of hard to judge to be honest. At the mid-point of the year, he led the team in points from the blue line. From that point, he didn’t factor on the scoresheet at all in his remaining games. For a North American debut, I’d consider it a success even if the team was godawful, considering that’s what it took for him to get in the lineup.
His future with the Blue Jackets is at best murky, but not a whole lot more could have been asked for this year from the 24-year-old rookie from Sweden.