‘He’s unbelievable’

It’s safe to say Viggo Bjorck made plenty of new friends and fans this past weekend — including members of his own Winnipeg Jets prospects team which split a pair of tournament games in Quebec.

Take Davis Burnside for example. The undrafted 22-year-old forward, who signed with the Manitoba Moose last spring after finishing up at Ohio State University, couldn’t believe his eyes when he was put on a line with Bjorck, the eighth-overall pick from this summer’s draft and one of the most exciting young players in 2.0 Jets history.

“You see all the highlights and you just can’t wait to play with him,” said Burnside.

It wasn’t long before they teamed up for a highlight of their own. Bjorck made a sensational through-the-legs, no-look pass to Burnside on Sunday afternoon, setting him up for a shorthanded snipe in an eventual 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs young guns.

“He’s unbelievable,” Burnside raved after the game as he spoke with the Jets social media team. “I don’t think I’ve ever really played with a player like that before. He just makes plays, he’s poised, and a ton of fun on the bench, too. He’s awesome.”

Bjorck had a goal — a beautiful wraparound — and a primary assist in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens kids to kick off the four-team event. And there were plenty of other chances as well for the slick 18-year-old Swede, including a dazzling solo rush up the right side which led to a clear-cut chance from Burnside on Sunday.

Memo to anyone playing with Bjorck: You best be ready for the puck. He’ll find you.

“I was calling for it but didn’t know he was going to go between-the-legs and add a little flash there,” Burnside said of the set-up on his goal. “That just shows his vision. An unbelievable play by him.”

“He just makes plays, he’s poised, and a ton of fun on the bench, too. He’s awesome.”

While Bjorck may have stolen the spotlight, he wasn’t the only young player to shine.

Brayden Yager had himself a stellar weekend, with a goal and two assists and plenty of poised, confident plays and rushes where he showed off his speed and skill.

“I feel ready to play in the NHL,” Yager, 21, told the Jets social media team. “I think I had a really good summer, and I feel really confident. So yeah, I mean, gonna go into camp and work my tail off and try to earn a spot.”

Yager — the 14th-overall pick from 2023 who was drafted by Pittsburgh and then traded to Winnipeg in exchange for disgruntled first-rounder Ruter McGroarty — had 30 points (10G, 20A) in 68 American Hockey League games for the Moose last year.

Along with Bjorck, he’ll be one of the young players to keep a close eye on this coming week as Jets training camp gets underway.

Others who stood out against the Habs and Leafs included rookie defenceman Alfons Freij (two assists), Ontario Hockey League graduates Kevin He, Jacob Julien and Kieron Walton — who all scored goals — and the three college free agents signed last spring in forwards Burnside (goal) and Lucas Wahlin (goal, assist) and defenceman Lukas Gustafsson (assist).

“I’m grateful for what they’ve given me so far,” said Burnside, who played in two games with the Moose at the end of last year and figures to get a more prominent role starting this fall.

“Hopefully just continue to prove myself and work as hard as I can. Do everything I can to make a good impression on the coaches.”

“I feel ready to play in the NHL… I think I had a really good summer, and I feel really confident.”

He and Walton will be rookie pros this season, while Julien is coming off an injury-plagued rookie campaign which limited him to just 31 games with the Moose.

“(Julien) continues to take another step. He has a really good stick. Very smart hockey player, creates a lot of plays by using his knowledge out there,” Moose coach Mark Morrison told the Jets social media team

Julien, who stands 6-4 and weighs 190 pounds, was also noticeably physical at times.

“It’s part of the game, right. Any time I can separate the man from the puck, that’s what I’m going to do,” he told the Jets social media team.

Goaltender Samuel Hrenak was stellar in Saturday’s game, stopping 21 of 22 shots against the Canadiens. The 18-year-old Slovakian, who was selected in the third round by the Jets this year and plays with Fargo of the USHL, nearly scored an empty-net goal as well.

Alex Worthington, an undrafted goaltender who is signed to an AHL deal with the Moose and spent last year in the ECHL, was beaten five times in Sunday’s loss, with the final goal being into an empty net.

“I thought it was great,” Morrison said of the overall weekend.

“They’re a great young group of professionals and carried themselves the right way. They bonded together really quick as a team and they competed really hard. A lot of them are going to Jets camp, some are going back to junior. A lot of them are coming to Moose camp. It’s for them to prepare themselves, and I think those two games did a really good job of that.”

He singled out the power play for praise, which converted three times over the weekend.

“They’re a great young group of professionals and carried themselves the right way. They bonded together really quick as a team and they competed really hard.”

“I think you can look a little bit into some of the skill level that’s out there. You know, Bjorck, Freij, Yager, Gustafsson, I could go on and on,” said Morrison.

“It just seems that there’s the right pieces there in terms of net-front and flanks. I thought they moved the puck really well and created a lot of chances.”

Now it’s on to the main event.

The Jets will hold medicals on Wednesday before the on-ice sessions begin Thursday. It’s an abbreviated camp this year, with the first regular season game set for Oct. 2. Winnipeg will play four preseason games — this Saturday in Edmonton, next Monday and Tuesday at home to Colorado and Edmonton, and Sept. 25 in Denver.

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