ST. PAUL, Minn. — Djurgarden head coach Robert Kimby knew Viggo Bjorck was a good player.

He’d seen the numbers. He knew that he’d set the J20 single-season points record with 74 in 42 games at just 16, the same year he’d scored in his second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan debut. He knew that he was a league-best plus-38 that year and that he’d led Djurgarden’s under-20 junior team to a J20 gold medal.

He knew that, a year prior, Bjorck had also set the J18’s single-season points record, shattering the previous mark of 72 when he rattled off 98 in 37 games as a 15-year-old — nearly three points per game.

He saw him add eight points in seven games as an underager at the 2025 U18 worlds in Texas in the spring, too.

He knew about his skill, his vision, his smarts and his shot.

Those things made him a top prospect, even at NHL Central Scouting’s listed height and weight of 5-foot-9 and 177 pounds.

On the back of all of Bjorck’s firsts, Kimby and his staff had allowed Bjorck to start skating with their pro team as they pursued promotion into the SHL last winter, and then decided they’d give him a shot with the SHL club to start his draft year.

What Kimby didn’t know was that he was so much more than just his talent and accomplishments.

“To me, what sticks out and what we could see early on with him was his maturity,” Kimby told The Athletic. “Even last year, but especially this year, the responsibility he plays with has stood out. Even though he is not the biggest player, he has handled so far the physical part to play against men really well. I’m not going to say that I’m surprised by it, but I thought that it would take him a little bit longer to figure out how to protect the puck, how to control the opponents that run around on his back and so on. That has been impressive.”

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When this season started, Kimby and his staff weren’t sure Bjorck would stick around with them. But as the year has progressed, the team’s head coach said that “basically from the first day he earned his spot on our team, and he has done a good job.”

That has included registering eight points (four goals, four assists) in 24 SHL games this season, an average ice time of 11:56 per game and a positive goal differential of plus-2 (Djurgarden have outscored the opposition 11-9 with him on the ice).

At a glance, those numbers might look modest, but they’re far from it for a 17-year-old in one of the top professional leagues in the world. As of this writing, he’s the only under-18 skater to have scored in the league this season, and only one other player has a point (fellow draft-eligible Malte Gustafsson has a lone assist).

Over the last couple of weeks, he has also played — again as an underager — as a top-six center for Sweden at the 2026 World Juniors.

Through five games and into the semifinals, he has registered six points (three goals and three assists) and averaged 18:45 per game (tied for second among all Swedish forwards behind only 19-year-old Islanders first-rounder Victor Eklund). He has also taken more draws than any other Swedish center and is 55-44 in the dot for a faceoff percentage of 55.6 percent.

Magnus Havelid, Sweden’s under-20 head coach, has raved about him since the World Junior Summer Showcase in July, which was his first time coaching him. Havelid predicted coming out of that event (where he registered six points in five games) that he’d be an important player for his team before his draft year even began. Just the fact that he was invited to the camp when he could have been playing at the under-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup — a rare honor for a Swede — spoke volumes.

Five months later, he’s still raving.

“He’s a very coachable player, he listens, he can take instructions quick, and adapt that on the ice. He’s a skillful player, obviously, but he takes responsibility offensively and defensively,” Havelid said. “He’s a player you trust a lot as a coach, and he’s good on faceoffs, both ends, penalty kill, power play, and he plays in every situation for us. He’s a good leader as well.”

Bjorck has registered six points through five games at the 2026 World Juniors. (Steve Ellis / Daily Faceoff)

His Djurgarden and Team Sweden teammate, Anton Frondell, said “everything” stands out about Bjorck.

Back home with Djurgarden, Frondell and Bjorck normally room together on road trips. He describes Bjorck as a “hyper serious” person about everything from his sleep to his heating, and the player who stays on the longest after practice.

“He’s the youngest player on this team, and he plays like the oldest,” Frondell said. “He’s not the tallest guy, but he’s so strong. When he has the puck, it’s impossible to take it from him. His shot is incredible. On the power play, his hockey sense, his playmaking, it’s special. And he’s all-around, offensive and defensive.”

That strength on pucks, despite his 5-foot-9 listing (Sweden lists him at 5-foot-10, which will matter to scouts if Central Scouting’s next measurement gets him there), has become a hallmark of his game.

Though Kimby has used him exclusively on the wing in the SHL because he feels it’s important for him to grow into playing his natural center position against men in a positive way, he thinks that strength will help him quickly become a center for Djurgarden — and hinted that they might try him there as early as his return from the World Juniors.

“I think with the vision that he has and the maturity he plays with, I think he’s good at giving players support both on and off the puck. And when he figures out the faceoff part, I have no doubt that he’s going to be a good centerman playing against men soon,” Kimby said. “We all look forward to him playing as a center because I think that’s where we can most take advantage of his skill set.”

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Bjorck isn’t the only member of his family with a bright future in hockey. His older brother, Wilson, is also on this year’s Swedish World Junior team and was drafted by the Canucks in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Draft.

They’re each other’s only siblings, and they grew up a little north of Stockholm competing in “intense” games of table tennis, floor ball, soccer and hockey. Last year, they played on the same line together when Viggo broke the J20 scoring record. They won that J20 gold medal together, and lived in an apartment together, too, creating a schedule for who did what (Viggo took the dishes and Wilson made most of the meals).

“Hopefully we’ll get the chance to do that one more time sometime down the road,” Viggo said. “We’re always trying to team up.”

Wilson insists his little brother has always been the one, though.

“Oh my god. He’s just me, but 10 times better,” Wilson said. “He’s a skilled player with a great shot and great vision. I like to play with him. You’d have to ask him if he likes to play with me. He’s the easy one, I would say. And his work ethic is like no one else. He’s super focused on his work ethic. He doesn’t have an on-off button.”

Though they no longer play together after Wilson went to Colorado College in the NCAA this year, Viggo, who still has another year of high school left after this one, is committed to developing his game with Djurgarden.

He models that game after Sidney Crosby, admiring the Penguins legend’s complete two-way game.

“I try to play like him,” Viggo said. “I rely on my hockey sense and trying to create passing plays with my teammates, but I work hard both ways as well and try to be hard on the backcheck. I try to compete for every puck and win every battle. (And) I like the physical part. Being a little bit smaller, I still believe I can compete in corners and win pucks for the team. I’m trying to be quick with my head and reading plays, and I think that helps on the smaller ice.”

With two more games left to prove himself at the World Juniors, he has impressed scouts with his play. Just a few months ago, some viewed him as a late-first or even second-round pick despite his historic statistical track record. Increasingly, scouts are starting to talk about him as a potential top-10 or top-15 pick now. Some think he has been the most impressive draft-eligible at the tournament.

Kimby isn’t surprised by the impression he has made.

“We kind of knew he would be (a standout),” Kimby said. “He has poise within himself that it’s just natural for him. So it has been fun to see. Viggo, so far, the only thing I’ve seen with him is he just plays and he’s just calm about his presence.”