Making the Case: Viggo Björck

Internationally, Sweden’s junior teams have stolen the spotlight recently. This is due in large part to top prospect Ivar Stenberg and a litany of recently drafted prospects who many consider part of an upcoming wave of Swedes who will take the NHL by force.

Someone who isn’t getting enough credit, though, is Viggo Björck. Undersized and under-appreciated: Get used to that phrase now, because I’ll be chanting it up until draft night, especially if Björck slides. A crafty, slick center who can play in all situations, Björck has impressed on any stage he’s been on.

Player Information

Björck currently plies his trade with Djurgardens, having made the jump to their top squad earlier this season after obliterating the opposition on their developmental teams and setting scoring records along the way. While he didn’t have the historic, flashy scoring run that his countryman Ivar Stenberg did, Björck was the top junior scorer in the SHL, posting fifteen points as a 17-year-old this past season. That puts him in the company of of Rasmus Dahlin, Joel Eriksson Ek, Adrian Kempe, and our very own Mika Zibanejad, who have all previously earned that distinction. Why didn’t Stenberg secure this accolade? Well, folks, Stenberg is six months older than Björck, one of the older players in the draft, and was 18 years old for the entirety of the season.

Playing a major role in helping Sweden win the Gold Medal at the 2026 World Junior Championship was no fluke for Björck. He returned to Sweden and continued to find success. After Djugardens’ SHL team was eliminated, Björck returned to the J20 squad and helped them secure a second consecutive Swedish Junior Championship, scoring 20 points in nine games, producing at a 2.22 points per game clip for the best production rate in the postseason, just slightly ahead of Rangers’ prospect Mikkel Eriksen.

Björck’s wondrous season would continue as he was named to Sweden’s World Junior Championship roster, scoring one goal and five points in six games. He also broke Leo Carlsson’s record as the youngest player ever named to the team and to score a goal on the international stage. To learn more about Björck’s great season and his profile as a draft prospect, check out Chris’ feature on him in our January edition of the Draft Radar Scouting Report.