ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

2013 NHL Entry Draft The 2013 NHL Entry Draft was the 51st NHL Entry Draft. All seven rounds of the draft took place on June 30, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The top three selections were Nathan MacKinnon going to the Colorado Avalanche, Alek ...

Todd Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

Patrick Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

Herning Herning () is a Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 50,565 (1 January 2022)AL-Bank Ligaen debut playing with the

Herning Blue Fox Herning Blue Fox is a Danish professional ice hockey team based in Herning, Denmark, playing in the Metal Ligaen, the top tier of Danish ice hockey. The club was founded in 1947 and play their home games in the KVIK Hockey Arena which has a capac ...

during the 2011–12 season. He recorded 13

goals A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve. Goal may also refer to: Sport * Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs ** Goals, the goal frame in ...

and 13 assists for 26 points in 36 games during his rookie season to lead all 16-year-olds in the league in scoring. As a result, he was selected 26th overall by the

Portland Winterhawks The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon, playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL), one of three leagues making up the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Prior to the 2021-22 season, the Winterhawks split thei ...

in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL) 2012 Import Draft. He spent three seasons with the Winterhawks before beginning his professional career with the

Lake Erie Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

.

Early life

Bjorkstrand was born on 10 April 1995, in

Herning, Denmark Herning () is a Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 50,565 (1 January 2022) to parents

Todd Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

and Janne. His father, an American citizen, is a former professional hockey player and coach. His older brother

Patrick Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

also plays ice hockey. Bjorkstrand was born and raised in Denmark, where he played under the tutelage of his father until he was 17 years old.

Playing career

Junior

Bjorkstrand made his AL-Bank Ligaen debut playing with the

Herning Blue Fox Herning Blue Fox is a Danish professional ice hockey team based in Herning, Denmark, playing in the Metal Ligaen, the top tier of Danish ice hockey. The club was founded in 1947 and play their home games in the KVIK Hockey Arena which has a capac ...

during the 2011–12 season. He recorded 13

goals A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve. Goal may also refer to: Sport * Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs ** Goals, the goal frame in ...

and 13 assists for 26 points in 36 games during his rookie season to lead all 16-year-olds in the league in scoring. As a result, he was selected 26th overall by the

Portland Winterhawks The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon, playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL), one of three leagues making up the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Prior to the 2021-22 season, the Winterhawks split thei ...

in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL) 2012 Import Draft. He subsequently joined the team for their 2012–13 season. By December, Bjorkstrand ranked fourth among all WHL rookies with 27 points and was invited to participate in the 2012

CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game The CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is an annual event in which forty of the top NHL Entry Draft eligible prospects in the Canadian Hockey League play against each other in an all-star game environment. Players are able to boost their draft ranking w ...

. Following the game, Bjorkstrand earned a top 30 mid-term ranking from the

NHL Central Scouting Bureau The NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) is a department within the National Hockey League that ranks prospects for the NHL Entry Draft at specific times during the hockey season. Players are ranked based on how well they will translate to the profe ...

leading up to the

2013 NHL Entry Draft The 2013 NHL Entry Draft was the 51st NHL Entry Draft. All seven rounds of the draft took place on June 30, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The top three selections were Nathan MacKinnon going to the Colorado Avalanche, Alek ...

. He later recorded his first

major junior Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

during a 7–0 win over the

Tri-City Americans The Tri-City Americans are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League, based in Kennewick, Washington. The team plays its home games at Toyota Center (Kennewick), Toyota Center. Every game is broadcast locally on the Tri-City A ...

. He ended his rookie regular-season campaign leading all WHL rookies with 31 goals and 63 points in 65 games. Bjorkstrand then shared the team's Rookie of the Year award with

Seth Jones Seth Jones may refer to: * Seth Jones (political scientist) (born 1972), American political scientist * Seth Jones (ice hockey) (born 1994), American ice hockey defenseman *'' Seth Jones'', a dime novel by Edward S. Ellis Edward Sylvester Ellis ...

before leading all rookie skaters with 19 points in 21 playoff games. Following his rookie season, Bjorkstrand was drafted 89th overall by the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. On 26 December 2013, during his second season with the Winterhawks, Bjorkstrand signed a three-year,

entry-level contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

with the Blue Jackets. At the time of the signing, he had tallied 25 goals and 31 assists for 56 points in 32 games. By March 2014, Bjorkstrand became the second Winterhawk player in three seasons to reach the 50-goal plateau after recording his fourth hat-trick in one season. As a result, he finished the regular season third in scoring with 109 points and was selected for the WHL Western Conference All-Star First Team. Bjorkstrand then helped the Winterhawks win their fourth straight WHL Western Conference Championship by recording 15 goals and 13 assists for 28 points through 14 games. Bjorkstrand finished his third and final season with the Winterhawks increasing his scoring and offensive ability. During the 2014–15 season, Bjorkstrand led all WHL players in goals and points to earn the Bob Clarke Trophy as the league's leading scorer. He recorded 50 goals in 50 games to become the first WHL player to accomplish the feat since the

2011–12 WHL season The 2011–12 WHL season is the 46th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began in September 2011 and ended in March 2012. The following playoffs began on March 22 and ended in early May when the Edmonton Oil Kings won th ...

. Bjorkstrand also became the first Winterhawk to complete back-to-back 50-goal season since Dennis Holland from 1987-89. He was subsequently unanimously selected to the WHL's Western Conference First All-Star Team, while his teammates voted him the Winterhawks' Most Valuable Player.

Professional

Following his career-high third season campaign with the Winterhawks, Bjorkstrand joined the Blue Jackets'

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL) affiliate, the

Lake Erie Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...

, to begin the 2015–16 season. In his first professional season, Bjorkstrand recorded 15 goals and 10 assists for 25 points before being recalled to the NHL on 16 March 2016. He made his NHL debut the following day in a game against the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

and scored his first and second NHL goals in his second game against the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

. He finished the regular season with the Blue Jackets, recording four goals and eight points in 12 games before returning to the AHL for the franchise's first

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...

playoff appearance since 2011. Upon returning to the AHL, Bjorkstrand helped the Monsters sweep the

Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

in the first round by scoring 19 seconds into the third period of Game 4. In Game 1 of the following series against the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey, hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and play home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National H ...

, Bjorkstrand recorded the overtime game-winning goal to lead the Monsters to a win. With assistance from his offensive ability, the Monsters qualified for the Calder Cup Finals against the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the c ...

where he scored the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 4. This effectively won the Calder Cup for the Monsters, and Bjorkstrand also earned the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player. Following the Calder Cup win, Bjorkstrand entered training and development camp with high expectations of making the Blue Jackets' 2016–17 opening night roster. During camp, Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen spoke highly of him, saying: "He's not a big guy, but he's not afraid to play the North American style at all ... it speaks to his character. I love the chip on his shoulder and the way he plays and competes." He was named to the teams' opening night roster but was reassigned to the

Cleveland Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...

after playing in three games. During his time in the AHL, Bjorkstrand was also selected for the 2017

AHL All-Star Classic The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

roster. Aside from an emergency call-up in December, he would stay with the Monsters until February after scoring 14 goals and 12 assists in 37 games. Upon returning to the NHL level in February 2017, Bjorkstrand recorded 13 points in 26 games and the move was praised by management as the best move made around the

trade deadline In professional sports within the United States and Canada, a trade is a sports league transaction between sports clubs involving the exchange of player rights from one team to another. Though player rights are the primary trading assets, draft p ...

. In March, Bjorkstrand was sidelined for six games after suffering a hit from

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

player Roman Polak, who was subsequently suspended for two games. He returned to the lineup on 4 April 2017 where he had one shot in 14:12 of ice time in a 4–1 loss to the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

. Bjorkstrand entered the final year of his entry-level contract playing the full 2017–18 season with the Blue Jackets at the NHL level. Throughout the season, he played mainly on the third or fourth line and was tasked with a checking role. Following the acquisition of

Thomas Vanek Thomas Vanek (born 19 January 1984) is an Austrian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played fourteen years in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, Detroit R ...

in February, Bjorkstrand played on a line with

Nick Foligno Nicholas Foligno (; born October 31, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 28th overall by the Ottawa Senators during the 2006 NH ...

and

Sonny Milano Frank "Sonny" Milano (born May 12, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey left winger who is currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first ro ...

. He set a new career-high during the season by recording 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points in 82 games. His numbers ranked fourth in assists and sixth in points across the Blue Jackets skaters. As the Jackets qualified for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, he recorded three points in six games. He finished the 2017–18 season by signing a three-year contract extension through the 2020–21 season on 15 July 2018. In the first year of his new contract, Bjorkstrand began studying the playing style of teammate

Artemi Panarin Artemi Sergeyevich Panarin (russian: Арте́мий Серге́евич Пана́рин; born 30 October 1991), nicknamed the "Breadman", or simply "Bread", is a Russian professional ice hockey winger and alternate captain for the New York ...

, who had a similar build to him. He began the season slow, only scoring three goals in his first 30 games and was made a

healthy scratch This is a list of common terms used in the sport of ice hockey along with the definitions of these terms. 0-9 A B C ...

. After sitting out for four games, head coach John Tortorella returned him to the lineup on 29 November 2018, to replace a "banged up"

Anthony Duclair Anthony Duclair (born August 26, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Duclair was selected by the New York Rangers in the third round, 80th overall, ...

. Following this, he picked up his scoring and had five goals and nine points through the month of February and recording nine goals in the last 10 games of the regular season. As a result, he finished the 2018–19 season with 23 goals and 36 points for his first 20-goal season. The following year, Bjorkstrand continued his offensive output and was praised by defenseman

Zach Werenski Zachary Werenski (born July 19, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Werenski was drafted eighth overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2015 ...

for being "a guy that you can count on in every situation". He was moved across various lines throughout the season as Tortorella struggled to finding a suitable center for both Bjorkstrand and

Patrik Laine Patrik Laine (; born 19 April 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger who currently plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League. Laine formerly played in his native Finland with Tappara in the Finnish Liiga befor ...

. After recording 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points through 36 games, he was placed on injured reserve in December 2019 after suffering a rib/cartilage contusion with oblique strain during a game against the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

. Upon returning to the lineup, Bjorkstrand continued his offensive streak and led the team with 21 goals and tied for third with 36 points before being injured on 20 February during a game against the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

. As a result of the injury, Bjorkstrand remained out of the lineup until the Blue Jackets qualified for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. Bjorkstrand and the Blue Jackets met with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference Qualifying Round of the playoffs and beat them in five games. During the first round against the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

, Bjorkstrand tallied his first goal of the postseason in an eventual 3–2 loss in a five overtime game. The game was the longest game in franchise history and the fourth-longest in league history. He shortly thereafter became the second active player to have each of his first three career playoff game-winning goals come against one opponent. He also set a franchise record for most postseason game-winning goals. The Blue Jackets were eventually eliminated from the playoffs in five games. Bjorkstrand 2022 preseason

Upon being eliminated from the playoffs, Bjorkstrand signed a five-year, $27 million contract extension on 6 January 2021 to remain with the Blue Jackets. He scored his first goal of the season on 18 January 2021 against the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

and added an assist and a fight for a

Gordie Howe hat trick A Gordie Howe hat trick is a variation on ice hockey's hat-trick. It is accomplished when a player collects a goal, an assist, and a fight in the same game. It is named after Hall of Famer Gordie Howe. The term was coined by a 1950s New York s ...

. As the Blue Jackets pushed for a playoff position in March, Bjorkstrand recorded five goals and six assists for 11 points through 10 games. He also led the team with 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points. In spite of this, Bjorkstrand and the Blue Jackets failed to qualify for the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. Prior to the start of the 2021–22 season, Bjorkstrand was named an

alternate captain In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...

for the team alongside Werenski and

Gustav Nyquist Gustav Nyquist (born 1 September 1989) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nyquist was drafted 121st overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2008 N ...

. On 25 October, Bjorkstrand recorded his 100th assist to tie

Jakub Voráček Jakub Voráček (; born 15 August 1989) is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Voráček was drafted seventh overall by the Blue Jackets at the 2007 NHL Entry ...

for 18th in franchise history at the century mark. His scoring prowess continued and by 7 November he ranked third in franchise history for most points through 10 games. He had accumulated five goals and eight assists to help the team tie their franchise record for the best start in history. Later in December, Bjorkstrand joined

Zach Werenski Zachary Werenski (born July 19, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Werenski was drafted eighth overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2015 ...

as the second Blue Jacket player to reach 200 points in the 2021–22 season. However, shortly after reaching this milestone he was entered into the NHL's COVID protocol.

Seattle Kraken

On 22 July 2022, Bjorkstrand was traded to the

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...

in exchange for third-round and fourth-round picks in the

2023 NHL Entry Draft The 2023 NHL Entry Draft will be the 61st NHL Entry Draft. The draft is expected to be held on June 28–29, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Eligibility Ice hockey players born between January 1, 2003, and September 15, 200 ...

. Following the draft, Bjorkstrand was placed on the teams' first powerplay unit during their preseason games against the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

.

International play

Oliver Bjorkstrand, Denmark U20 - Latvia U20, 19

As a dual citizen of Denmark and the United States, Bjorkstrand has chosen to represent Denmark at international tournaments. He represented

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

for the first time internationally at the

2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2012 IIHF U20 World Championship (commonly known as the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships) was the 36th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It was hosted in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It began on Decemb ...

with his father serving as his head coach. Bjorkstrand represented Denmark for the second time at the

IIHF World Junior Championship The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is t ...

in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

after helping them qualify in 2014. During the IIHF World Junior Championship, Division I, Group A tournament, he was named the tournament's Top Forward by the IIHF Directorate. In the same year, Bjorkstrand also made his first senior appearance with the

Denmark men's national ice hockey team The Danish national men's ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team for Denmark. The team is controlled by Danmarks Ishockey Union. It was founded in 1949, and as of 2022, the Danish team was ranked 10th in the IIHF World Rankings. Denmark ...

at the

2015 IIHF World Championship The 2015 IIHF World Championship was the 79th event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), held from 1–17 May 2015 in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic. It broke the historical attendance record of IIHF World Championships ...

at the age of 20 alongside his brother Patrick. Bjorkstrand represented Denmark for the second time at the senior level at the

2018 IIHF World Championship The 2018 IIHF World Championship was an international ice hockey tournament hosted by the Danish cities of Copenhagen and Herning, held from 4–20 May 2018. The IIHF announced the winning bid on 23 May 2014 in Minsk, Belarus. South Korea made i ...

. During the tournament, Denmark beat Germany, Finland, Norway, and South Korea but lost to Latvia and missed out on the quarter-finals. On 8 October 2021, Bjorkstrand was one of three players named to Team Denmark's first-ever Olympic hockey team for the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...

. When speaking of the opportunity, Bjorkstrand said: "It’s going to be tough task for us to go far, but it’s a huge honour for us to be there. We’re obviously going to do our best. And it’s always in the back of our heads that we can surprise a bit. We’re all super pumped."

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bjorkstrand, Oliver 1995 births Living people Cleveland Monsters players Columbus Blue Jackets draft picks Columbus Blue Jackets players Danish ice hockey right wingers Danish people of American descent Herning Blue Fox players Lake Erie Monsters players People from Herning Municipality Portland Winterhawks players Seattle Kraken players Sportspeople from the Central Denmark Region