Marcus Björk likes to cook dinner for teammates, loves music (in particular house music that is popular in his native Sweden) and supports Manchester City in his off time.
Those are among the tidbits the Blue Jackets defensemen told Dylan Tyrer on this week’s episode of the Pipeline Podcast, a biweekly look at the young players in the Columbus system.
When Bjork did that interview detailing his transition from playing the past four seasons in the Swedish Hockey League to settling into the Blue Jackets organization in North America, he likely had no idea how things were going to turn in the coming days.
The Blue Jackets lost three defensemen to injuries in Thursday night’s win vs. Philadelphia, and suddenly Bjork went from someone who was still getting his feet wet in the American Hockey League to a callup for the team’s road trip last night to take on the New York Islanders.
And if Blue Jackets fans didn’t know who the 24-year-old Swede was before last night, it didn’t take long for Bjork to introduce himself. Bjork scored his first career NHL goal in his debut — becoming just the seventh CBJ player in team history to do so — and turned in a solid effort as the Jackets dropped a 4-3 decision in overtime.
Bjork joins David Vyborny, Rick Nash, Jakub VoracekNikita Filatov, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Trey Fix-Wolansky as the only players in team history to tally in their NHL debuts.
Video: CBJ@NYI: Bjork scores in 3rd period
“I think their D was trying to rim it, and it was bouncing, and I was like, ‘Let’s go for the one-timer,'” Bjork said of the goal in a postgame interview with Bally Sports Ohio. “And it went in. I didn’t see it at first, but it went in, so it was a nice feeling.”
In all, Bjork showed the poise and all-around game that made him a regular in the SHL the past four seasons, not to mention someone who showed up on the Blue Jackets’ radar last season. He chose to head to North America to face the challenge of playing at the highest level, then began the season with Cleveland.
Bjork posted a 2-3-5 line in his first 11 games with the Monsters and played big minutes on a young defensive corps filled with prospects. When Zach Werenski, Nick Blankenburg and Erik Gudbranson all went down against the Flyers, Bjork was among those who were targeted to help the Blue Jackets get through the adversity.
“Very excited,” Bjork said pregame. “It’s my dream come true. That’s why I came over from Sweden, so yeah, I’m very excited.”
He ended up skating 15:01 in the contest, posting two shots on goal and delivering four hits. It was emblematic of the game he hopes to deliver, one with solid two-way appeal that includes a little bit of offense plus some dependability and physicality (he stands 6-foot-4, 211 pounds in the defensive zone.
“He’s got good poise with the puck,” head coach Brad Larsen said Friday before the game. “He’s a little bit like one gear, like (David Savard) — Savy was one gear but very effective. He’s a very smart guy, poised with the puck. This is going to be his first taste of regular-season NHL. It’s a little different than the American League; we know the pace comes at you quicker. There’s going to be that adjustment for him, and how well he adjusts, time will tell. We’ll see, but I’ve heard good things about him ”
Bjork said his size and reach have helped him adjust to the North American game, and those qualities are easier to take advantage of on the smaller ice surface. Bjork showed he wasn’t afraid to be physical during the game, including standing up to those who came a little too close for comfort to the goal of Joonas Korpisalo.
“It seems like he’s been playing here for 10 years,” Korpisalo said postgame. “You can see it.”
Bjork said there’s a lot to be learned from his debut, but at the same time, it’s a memory he’ll keep forever. It was made even more special by the fact that his father, Thomas, and girlfriend, Amanda, were able to fly over from Sweden and be there for his first NHL goal.
“It’s huge,” he said. “Thank you for all the support all the way in my career. It’s huge, and I’m thankful for that. They are big supporters.”
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