The Boston Bruins selected Anders Bjork in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Draft. A Wisconsin native that tore it up in his final two seasons with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, accumulating 33 goals and 54 assists in 74 games over those two seasons.
Since then, the Anders Bjork experience in Boston has been filled with a lot of promise, but not a ton of results. Many thanks to injury, but also inconsistencies in playing time and a lack of a defined role at the NHL level.
Bjork has played 50 games over two seasons with the Boston Bruins, tallying just five goals and 10 assists –– including just one goal and two assists in 20 games last year. The 23-year-old was then re-assigned to the Providence Bruins, where he only played 13 games due to a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.
He tallied one goal and nine assists over those 13 games.
But that was then, this is now. What can the Bruins expect from Bjork in 2019?
Considering the infusion of youth the Bruins have benefitted from over the past few seasons, with additions such as Jakub Lauko, Jack Studnicka, and Oskar Steen to the forward prospect pool, Bjork’s future on the Boston Bruins seems a bit in question.
While the speed and skill have never been a mystery, it’s a results league. And Bjork has certainly shown a lack in that department in his 50-game sample size. However, Bjork played his best hockey while playing alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
For the Bruins to get consistent production from the Notre Dame product, the key is to put him with players that’ll draw the attention away from him.
As it looks right now, Bjork would likely play alongside Charlie Coyle (11 goals, 11 assists in 42 games with Boston) and Danton Heinen (11 goals, 23 assists last season) on the third line should he make the NHL roster. Which, considering he was playing on a line with Ryan Donato (six goals, three assists in 34 games with Boston) and Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson (three goals, six assists in 28 games), Bjork is getting a considerable upgrade in talent around him.
Could this be the jolt Bjork needs to get his game going at the NHL level? Maybe. But the fact of the matter is, the Bruins need Anders Bjork to play consistent minutes in Boston. If they can’t provide that to him, he needs to be in Providence –– because the Bruins are only hindering his development by giving him inconsistent playing time.
