When the Jets selected Swedish center Viggo Björck with the eighth overall pick last month, they weren’t expecting to see him in Winnipeg until spring 2027 at the earliest. He was entering the final season of his contract with Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League.
Today, however, Djurgården announced that they’ve granted Björck a release for the highly-touted 18-year-old to pursue opportunities in the Jets organization for 2026-27. He’s yet to sign his entry-level contract, so he’s ineligible to play NHL games for Winnipeg as of now, but there’s plenty of time for that to change between now and training camp.
As a first-round pick, the Jets would have been able to assign Björck to the AHL outright following training camp without Djurgården’s permission – regardless of his contractual status in Sweden – per the NHL’s transfer agreement with the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Still, today’s news offers early confirmation that Björck will be suiting up for either the Jets or AHL Manitoba when the puck drops on the 2026-27 campaign.
Björck became the Jets’ No. 1 prospect by a wide margin as soon as he was selected, galvanizing a pool that most opined was near the middle of the league in strength. While undersized at just 5’9″ and 181 lbs, the Stockholm native played nearly his entire draft season against professional competition in Sweden’s top league and was expected to compete for Djurgården’s first-line center job this season. In 42 SHL outings for Djurgården last year, he posted six goals and 15 points, leading the league in scoring among under-18 players. He was exceptional internationally, having nine points in seven games en route to a gold medal for Sweden at the World Juniors and adding a 1-5–6 scoring line in eight outings for the senior team at the World Championship in May.
Expecting Björck to go from a sheltered SHL role to being an NHL impact player as a rookie would be short-sighted, though, especially given his frame. It’s most likely he gets a trial in Manitoba to start the season in a high-leverage role before being considered for a call-up. While he’s coming from Europe, he’s still slide-eligible this year, so if he played under 10 NHL games, the first year of his entry-level deal would defer to 2027-28.