Opportunity Knocks for Bjork As First Pro Season Approaches

BOSTON- When Anders Bjork looks at what stands in front of him this fall, he sees one very important thing: opportunity.
And at this stage in his young hockey career, that's all he can ask for.

It was the chance he will be provided to take hold of a roster spot in the National Hockey League come training camp that was appealing enough for him to forego his senior season at Notre Dame and sign an entry-level contract with the Bruins at the end of the May.
Now, it will be his job - quite literally - to take advantage of that opportunity.
"That was definitely a factor. [Bruins general manager] Don Sweeney told me a bit that there's a good opportunity here, especially for wingers and that's exciting for me," said Bjork, a 2014 fifth-round pick of the Bruins, who arrived at Development Camp on Saturday after missing the first two days for a family commitment.
"I think I'm trying to use that as inspiration this summer to get stronger and improve on my weaknesses and stuff like that because it's every hockey player's dream to play in the NHL, and the fact that there's a pretty good opportunity ahead of me is really exciting."

That's not to say it wasn't difficult to depart Notre Dame, an institution that remains very special to Bjork, who has deep Fighting Irish roots. The Wisconsin native's father Kirt - like his son a 100-point scorer at Notre Dame - mother Patricia, and two older sisters, Brinya and Keali, are South Bend alums.
"I really like Notre Dame - love my coaches and teammates and everything there, so it was a really tough decision," said Bjork, who made a promise to his mom to finish his marketing degree by taking summer and online classes. "It kind of took a long time to think about and I wanted to be 100 percent sure on it because, obviously, it's life changing.
"And I think once I decided that, I was very excited...obviously, any opportunity to play professional hockey is extremely tempting."
But Bjork, who made the final call to chase his dream following the 2017 IIHF World Championship, knows it will not be easy to gain a spot on Boston's roster. The soon-to-be 21-year-old will be competing against fellow youngsters like Peter Cehlarik, Jake DeBrusk, and Danton Heinen, all of whom have at least a year of professional hockey under their belts. And there is, of course, always the possibility that Sweeney brings in a veteran or two to stiffen the competition.
"I think I'm just trying to do the best I can and show how hard I can compete," said Bjork, who led Notre Dame in points (52), goals (21), and assists (31) last season, while helping Notre Dame to an appearance in the Frozen Four.
"I'm excited to see where I'm at compared to these guys. Obviously, there's a ton of great players, especially great forwards here in Boston. It'll be an exciting experience for me and I know especially as a younger player, it might take time.
"So, I understand that. A lot of guys told me at the World Championship to was that keeping a level head is extremely important in pro hockey."

Bjork was easy to spot during Saturday's on-ice sessions, his skill apparent each time he touched the puck. During a one-on-one angling drill, the left-shot winger blazed past his opponent and neatly roofed a backhander underneath the crossbar. On several occasions, his efforts produced audible "oohs" and "aahs" from the several hundred fans gathered at Warrior Ice Arena.
"He was good today, he was obviously noticeable, his skill level. He plays at a pretty high pace," said Bruins Player Development Coordinator Jamie Langenbrunner. "He's a good skater, he's light on his feet and made some plays. He can shoot the puck - there were a couple nice goals that he scored.
"He's obviously a guy that stood out, but you expect that. He's a guy that has been through a few of these now and plays with high level skill."
Langenbrunner, who has followed Bjork closely over the past couple of years, believes that even a two-day snapshot of Bjork during this camp will be extremely beneficial for both the player and Boston's coaching staff, which has not had many opportunities to see him play in person.
"He comes from a great program, from a great head coach [Jeff Jackson] that understands pro hockey and understands hockey in general," said Langenbrunner, who views Bjork as having the ability to play both the power play and penalty kill at the NHL level.
"[Bjork's] details are good, they'll have to come to another level to be consistent in the NHL, but he's a smart and skilled player that I think will grasp it pretty quick."

The room for growth that remains is why Bjork is not taking anything for granted. Following Development Camp, he will return home to Wisconsin to turn his training into high gear. His skating and weightlifting will increase, as will his focus on getting the proper sleep and keeping up his nutrition.
He knows all of that will put him in the best position to succeed when he returns to Boston in September for training camp.
"I think the most important thing would be to compete and show that I can play with some of the best players in the world. I think that's the biggest thing," said Bjork. "Especially as a rookie, I think competing and showing how hard you work in all three zones of the ice is, by far, the most important thing."
In other words, he'll be doing all he can to seize his opportunity.
The 2017 Boston Bruins Development Camp is presented by AT&T.