BLOG: Bjork Wants to Bring Speed to Blackhawks

With new faces continuing to join the lineup following the March 3 trade deadline, the new forward Anders Bjork will make his Blackhawks debut on Saturday night against the Nashville Predators.
Chicago acquired Bjork from the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday in exchange for future considerations. After receiving a phone call from Sabres General Manager Kevin Adams about the roster moves, the Wisconsin native was happy to be joining the Blackhawks and have a new opportunity to play in the NHL.
"I was ecstatic when I got the phone call," Bjork said. "It's a good opportunity for me here and it's honestly my dream team to play for because I'm from around the area. I was super excited and just excited to get to work and prove the player I can be."

Bjork played in one NHL game this season back in November but played in 42 AHL games with the Rochester Americans. This season he produced eight goals, 17 assists and is a plus-five rating. The left winger made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins back in 2017-18 and played under current Blackhawks' assistant coach Kevin Dean.
As he prepares to join the lineup and learn the new system, he finds his opportunity as a way to reinvent himself as a player and show that he can make an impact in the NHL. One of the things he hopes to provide is his speed.
"I like to play fast, and I got some offensive ability, but I pride myself being responsible and being a two-way player," Bjork said. "With my speed, [I can bring the] energy and disrupt on the forecheck or D-zone disrupting, helping break pucks out and retrieve pucks on the forecheck as well. I think speed is probably my best asset, and I try to use that the best I can to the team I'm on."

After losing a player like Sam Lafferty to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who used his speed on the penalty kill, the new forward hopes to fill in the missing piece. While playing with Dean in Boston, he helped the team's penalty kill unit and the Blackhawks hope he can do the same this time around.
While being known for his speed, head coach Luke Richardson hopes he can use those assets to bring his quickness up front to get the team up the ice.
"I think some speed upfront is going to help us up ice, that's going to be something that we're going to utilize," Richardson said. "So, hopefully, he can give us a little boost there."
With Chicago playing a speed game, he hopes he can develop quicker during his time here.
"I think they like to play a speed driven game, quick plays and quick transitions and things like that," Bjork said. "That's what they seem to be preaching so far. And I think it's something that I could develop, especially with speed being an asset of mine and quickness. I think there's opportunity there for me to jump right in and try to enhance that."