A tale as old as time in hockey: smaller players being underrated and dropping in the draft. But now, in 2026, with the success of players such as Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, the late Great Johnny Hockey, and even in last year’s playoffs with Logan Stankoven, you’d think Teams would have learned not to doubt these super-skilled players. Yet the 2026 draft class is another example of this with 5’9 Swedish Center Viggo Björck.
His recent highlight-reel plays at the Jets prospects games have reignited this discussion. Viggo was projected as a top 5 talent by numerous Scouts. For those who are not very familiar with his game and why he is so well liked, Björck is known as a workhorse; he’s like a dog on a bone in the corner while fighting for the puck. His size does not discourage him from battling hard at all. He also uses that strength and leverage to protect the puck at a very high level. What makes Björck so dynamic is that he combines those gritty skills while having nearly unparalleled hockey IQ. That makes him a great overall offensive player who can do just about everything.
Viggo really started making his name known in his draft-minus-one 2024-25 season, where he was dominant for Djurgårdens Junior Team, scoring at a 2 points per game pace. This hype would only increase into the next season. His Draft season in the SHL was impressive, even if his stats don’t look it. Recording 15 in 42 regular season games. You have to take into account that he was 17 and the SHL is a much lower-scoring league, only having 4-point-per-game scorers in the entire league in 2025-26. He had an impressive playoff run in both the Allsvenskan and the SHL. In the Allsvenskan, he totaled 20 points in just 9 games. Also, in the SHL, he became Djurgårdens Top Center, scoring 3 points in their 3 playoff games.
At the International level, he was even more noticeable. At the 2026 World Juniors, Björck was a Top Star for the gold medal-winning Swedish Team. Following the semifinals of this Tournament was when I began believing in Björck as a Top 5 talent of this class. In that game, versus the rival Fins that was ultimately decided in a shootout. In those 10 minutes of overtime before the shootout, Björck was unbelievable. He had a ton of breakaways, never capitalizing, but you couldn’t imagine what you were seeing. His ability to break free from opponents was very evident.
Viggo was also selected to play for Team Sweden at the 2026 Men’s World Championship. The fact that he was even selected is impressive enough but would pale in comparison to what Viggo was able to do there. On a roster littered with current and former NHLers such as Lucas Raymond, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Mattias Ekholm, Simon Holmstrom, Emil Heineman, Jacob Silverberg, and many more, Viggo was almost immediately bumped to the first line. That line was composed of NHL All-Star winger Lucas Raymond and fellow 2026 Draftee and 2nd overall pick Ivar Stenberg. That line was Awesome for the Swedes. They just kept getting better and better over the course of the tournament. To preface, Ivar and Viggo were pulling more than their fair share. Often looking better than Raymond.
This summer, after being selected 8th overall by the Winnipeg Jets, Viggo chose to leave Sweden and join the Jets right away. Extremely rare for prospects outside the top 3. Only happening for a handful of players in the last few years. Not only does Björck project as an NHLer, but as a Top 6er to fill the Jets’ void at second-line center. If he proves he can hold his own as a top-of-the-lineup player right away, he will be in contention for the Calder with players like Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone, and Ivar Stenberg.