To say that the 2015-2016 Lake Erie Monsters have been impressive in the postseason is to undersell just how dominant they’ve been on their way to the Calder Cup Finals.  After finishing the regular season 43-22-6 and clinching the third spot in the AHL’s Western Conference, they burst into the playoffs in a manner befitting their moniker. 

In the 16 playoff games it has taken them to get to this point, their record of 14-2-0 is only outshone by their stellar +20 goal difference, having scored 58 goals and only allowed 38 in that span of time.  What’s more, out of the top ten point earners in these playoffs, a whopping six play for the Monsters, including highly-touted defenseman Zach Werenski from the University of Michigan. 

Sitting atop this steamrolling offensive unit is the subject of this piece, the ever-smiling Dane Oliver Bjorkstrand.  Since his selection 89th overall 2013 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Bjorkstrand has been no stranger to impressive offensive production, and these playoffs may just serve as his minor-league swan song before the permanent call up to the NHL. 

Oliver Bjorkstrand Showing Star Potential in Calder Cup Playoffs

In the two years he spent playing for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks after being drafted, he generated 109 and 118 points, respectively, earning two WHL All-Star bids and helping the team earn the title of league champions along the way.  Furthermore, the 2014-2015 season saw him finish with the best plus/minus and most goals in the league on his way to receiving the Bob Clarke Trophy for most points in the WHL and the Four Broncos Trophy for player of the year. 

His first season with the Monsters got off to a rocky start due to an upper body injury that kept him out for over a month, yet upon his return he was able put up a respectable 29 points in 51 games.  This performance, coupled with another forgettable season in Columbus, earned him his first call up to the NHL, where he managed to score four goals and assist on four more in a total of 12 games. 

Despite lackluster totals in the regular season, however, the beginning of the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs seemed to flip whatever switch it is that replaces the humble, smiling Bjorkstrand with a cold-blooded Danish assassin.  To many, his impressive rate of production (15 points in 16 games) in these playoffs following a rough season has come as a surprise, but for anyone who’s watched him since the beginning, his emergence was only a matter of time. 

It is often said that the playoffs are a new season altogether, and in his short time in professional hockey, Bjorkstrand has been nothing short of impressive in the second act.  In his three years with the Winterhawks, his playoff performances earned him 77 points in 59 games, an average rate of 1.31 points per game.  During the 2013-2014 postseason alone, he had more goals and total points than anyone else in the WHL, finishing with a total of 33 points in 21 games played. 

Although his points per game in these AHL playoffs is down to an average of .94, his performance has been nothing short of captivating for those watching.  Playing against tougher opposition than he faced in the WHL, he has still managed to set up six goals while slotting home an additional nine, including the overtime winner against Hershey in Monday’s Game 3. 

Oliver Bjorkstrand joined some elite company with his OT winner Monday.  That was his 2nd OT winner of the playoffs.  No one has ever had 3… — Mark Scheig (@THWMark) June 8, 2016

Perhaps the most impressive, and certainly the most important, element of Bjorkstrand’s play is how well it translates to the NHL.  Countless young prospects thrive at the AHL level but burn out by the time they make it to the big league, a fact that well-known to longtime fans of the Blue Jackets.  Since the beginning of the franchise, the team, and by extension its fans, have been the victims of years of poor talent management and development in this respect, which has certainly tempered expectations for young players. 

The fact remains, however, that Bjorkstrand has the potential to be a world-class top-six forward in the NHL very, very soon.  His skating, while not insanely quick, is fast enough to create separation between himself and defenders when paired with his impressive stick handling ability.  His wristshot is that special combination of deceptively quick and accurate that makes goalies second guess themselves every millisecond that he’s on the puck. 

Yet his most impressive attribute, more so than his speed, shot, or stick skills, is his hockey intelligence.  If one were to look back on his highlights they would see, more than anything, an innate and unteachable sense of space, an understanding of the location and trajectory of his teammates, his opponents, and the puck.  So many of his goals come from being in the right position to snap up a poorly-controlled rebound or a deflection off the stick of an opponent, not simply as the result of individual brilliance. 

These skills and attributes with which Bjorkstrand is gifted – his vision, his shot, his composure under pressure – are at the very core of what separates a good hockey player from an All-Star.  He has the pedigree, he has the stats, and he certainly has the passion to succeed in the NHL.  Before he steps out onto the ice at Nationwide Arena next season, however, he still has work to do, a playoff series to finish, and a Calder Cup to raise. 

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