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BUFFALO, NEW YORK – JUNE 26: NHL Commissioner
\n Gary Bettman looks on as Viggo Bjorck of Sweden is drafted by the Winnipeg Jets with the eight overall pick during day one of the 2026 NHL Draft on June 26, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Viggo Bj\u00f6rck likely expects to be counted on in Winnipeg this season. The Jets<\/a> likely expect to count on Bj\u00f6rck. To be competitive, Mark Scheifele and company need Bj\u00f6rck to contribute immediately<\/a>. Is there a Viggo Bj\u00f6rck comparison among recent centers selected outside the top five who made the NHL immediately?<\/p>\n The question heading into the 2026-27 season is exactly how much the Jets can count on the eighth overall draft pick from the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n Where Viggo Bj\u00f6rck Stands in Winnipeg Right Now<\/p>\n Murat Ates, who covers Winnipeg for\u00a0The Athletic, recently ranked Bj\u00f6rck as the number five center on the organizational depth chart<\/a>. At first glance, Bj\u00f6rck needs a major effort to make the team. After all, why would the Jets keep a waiver-exempt, high-value 18-year-old on the roster if he wasn\u2019t going to play?<\/p>\n The obvious answer: the Jets wouldn\u2019t do that. Still, Bj\u00f6rck could force his way higher into the lineup if he lives up to the promise many believe he carries. In fact, some argued that Bj\u00f6rck should have been a top-five pick in June\u2019s entry draft.<\/p>\n Even the most optimistic Bj\u00f6rck believers know it\u2019s not easy to project an undersized 18-year-old into an NHL lineup, let alone the upper half of that lineup. It\u2019s even harder to project them immediately to center. There are two interesting recent examples of centers unexpectedly forcing their way into the NHL in the year after they were drafted. These centers present as curious Viggo Bj\u00f6rck comparisons in 2026-27.<\/p>\n Ben Kindel\u2019s Brilliance in Pittsburgh is an Ideal Comparison<\/p>\n First, let\u2019s rule out players like Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard. It\u2019s fair to say that Bj\u00f6rck, drafted eighth overall, is not being held in the same esteem within the prospect community as those players.<\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult to overstate how important Ben Kindel was to Pittsburgh last season. And if Kindel winds up being a Viggo Bj\u00f6rck comparison, Jets fans likely will be over the moon.<\/p>\n Kindel, a similarly undersized center, scored 35 points in 77 games for the Penguins. That may seem pedestrian, but achieving that as an 18-year-old whom many never expected to play in the NHL so quickly is remarkable on its own. Coincidentally, Kindel\u2019s advanced metrics also sparkled.<\/p>\n Kindel, a 5-foot-11 center, anchored the team\u2019s third line for much of the season. The Penguins regularly won when Kindel was on the ice, according to advanced metric<\/a>s. And, remarkably, Kindel played responsibly in<\/a> his own end while achieving this. That, of course, can be common for young, offensive-minded forwards. While Kindel broke even in goals for versus against, his advanced metrics \u2014 Corsi, Fenwick, shots, scoring chances and high-danger chances \u2014 were positive, all according to Natural Stat Trick. Notably, Kindel was actually a full month younger in his draft year than Bj\u00f6rck is now.<\/p>\n That should encourage Winnipeg Jets fans hoping Bj\u00f6rck can at least claim one of the center roles. Critically, Kindel also unexpectedly helped the Penguins make the playoffs. This is the idealized Viggo Bj\u00f6rck comparison.<\/p>\n Cole Sillinger Presents a Conservative Viggo Bj\u00f6rck Comparison<\/p>\n Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger is another player who unexpectedly forced his way onto the roster of the team that drafted him far earlier than expected. Sillinger made the extremely rare transition directly from the USHL to the NHL. He finished his rookie season with 31 points in 79 games. That may look similar to Kindel\u2019s stat line, but below the surface there were some differences. And, notably, Sillinger was the youngest of the three compared to the rest of his draft class.<\/p>\n Unlike Kindel, Sillinger was underwater everywhere<\/a> in 2021-22. That was a tough year for the Jackets, who finished below .500 by NHL standards with just 81 points. Without the insulation provided by elite players like Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson, Sillinger didn\u2019t have the same type of success in his rookie season as Kindel. Sillinger spent the season deep underwater in every advanced metric. Most importantly, he finished minus-21 in goal differential at five-on-five. This is probably a Viggo Bj\u00f6rck comparison that would concern Jets fans.<\/p>\n Sillinger has shown real under-the-radar growth over the past two seasons, yet his point production has been remarkably flat. Sillinger finished the 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2025-26 seasons with remarkably consistent point totals: 0.39 points per game, 0.42 points per game and 0.41 points per game, respectively. For his career, he\u2019s a 31-point-per-82-game player. Sillinger finished between 31 and 33 points in four of five seasons in the NHL. Consequently, it\u2019s fair to wonder<\/a> if there\u2019s any more meat on the bone. Sillinger, even with increased playing time last year, saw his five-on-five points per 60 minutes decline, according to Natural Stat Trick.<\/p>\n Viggo Bj\u00f6rck\u2019s Role in 2026-27<\/p>\n Ultimately, it seems pretty difficult to imagine Bj\u00f6rck jumping onto the second line for Winnipeg next season, which is probably the hope. Even if he compares to Kindel, Bj\u00f6rck is likely a third-line center as a rookie.<\/p>\n Still, his pedigree makes it hard to ignore Kindel as a potential Viggo Bj\u00f6rck comparison. In a third-line center role, assuming the second line takes on shutdown responsibilities, Winnipeg could see a surprising resurgence following last season\u2019s monument to underachieving.<\/p>\n Even if they can\u2019t get back to playoff contention, the Jets should at least be competitive.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlex Wiederspiel<\/a> Alex Wiederspiel covers the NHL for for Heavy.com. He is a play-by-play broadcaster, host of Locked On Podcast Network’s NHL Game Night and former radio news anchor and digital news journalist in West Virginia. Avid lover of all dogs, but primarily the two monsters that live in his house. 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