Bjorklund seized his chance and was keen on AHL debut|theahl.com

Jesse Liebman | Ah, beat

Garin Bjorklund Prove that the development of professional hockey does not always appear in straight lines.

The goalkeeper is the 2020 Washington Capitals’ sixth-round draft pick — nearly two years after he competed in his first ECHL game with South Carolina Stingrays, South Carolina, his American Hockey League debuted Wednesday night for Hershey Bears.

“I had a smile on my face, I was ready to rock,” Bjocklund recalled, nodding for the first time since the Bears. “I don’t think this will happen in the first game, but I’m just happy.”

But Bjoklund might have reached both milestones earlier if it weren’t for the start of training camp with the Washington capital in the fall of 2022. Instead, Bjorklund had to wait until the final game of the 2022-23 campaign to play, with 24 saves for South Carolina in a 5-4 gunfight against Jacksonville on April 15, 2023.

Despite the limited working sample size, the capital’s goalkeeper development corps (composed of Bears goalkeepers Juha Lehtolathe capital director of the minor league operation Jason Fitzsimmonsgoalkeeper coach Scott Murrayplayer developers Olie Kolzigand recent additions Braden Holby) Satisfied with the progress faced by Bjorklund’s early career obstacles.

“First of all, he had the option to go home to recover, he spent a year on his first year on the team (in South Carolina) and was proven to be a team number one person,” Letola said. That was one thing that impressed us, how determined he was to come back and stick with the team. ”

Bjorklund spent his first full hockey season in the 2023-24 season entirely on the Stingrays, where he played 14-11-1 in 27 games with an average of 3.33 goals and a savings of 0.882, a figure that doesn’t necessarily stand out among his peers.

“Drafting from junior high school and starting from junior year – living alone, preparing meals for the first time, not driving with anyone or living at home for the first time,” Lehtola said.

“And then it was a huge summer mentally. Realizing who he was and preparing for the season ahead, then making those realizations and tweaking his game and getting paid off.”

Bjorklund’s figures this season (21-4-3, 2.02 GAA, .927 percent savings) as part of a three-man rotation Mitch Gibson and Seth Eisle How far has he gone in a powerful South Carolina squad. Earlier this week, he was one of the league leaders. And with Clay Stevenson Hershey Brain Trust was not available with an upper body injury and a weekend family suit, and it was a tilt on Wednesday at Bridgeport, which was a good time for the 22-year-old to finally get the AHL action.

“I think it’s just a matter of time,” Lehtola said, who often travels to North Charleston to work with the South Carolina mesh network. “We’re lucky that goalkeepers have been basically healthy throughout the organization over the past two to three seasons. Chances that may have emerged due to injuries may not have emerged.”

When Bjorklund Adam Beckman and Liam Foudy On the same sequence in the third stage.

After winning the championship after winning two-star honors and winning teammates Hudson Thorntonsweat-soaked Bjorklund quickly praised his teammates for finding his three-ball mat in the first phase.

“This road will never be easy. There will always be hills and valleys, so it means a lot to win here today,” Bjocklund said. “I’m so happy to share it with these guys.”

“He just played a very calm game,” the head coach said Todd Nelson Said after the game. “He looked more compact and confident than he was in training camp early this year, but he made some huge savings. He made the game look easy.”

Apart from recognizing friends and family in Alberta, Bjorklund was quick to point out that Bjorklund wouldn’t have been able to reach his career without some of his biggest supporters in the organization.

“There are a lot of people in the Capital Organization that helped me grow and helped me succeed and develop the game,” Bjorklund said. “Entering my first year of career and then having back surgery, I didn’t quite feel myself last year, I finally felt happy with my game this year, and there are a lot of people like Juha, Olie, Fitzy, Braden Holtby, Scotty Murray who have played a big role in my development and have a big role in my development.

“Even with Clay (Stevenson) and Gibby (Mickey Gibson), I have two goalkeeper partners, you can be a good partner, you can compete with you, and you can go for lunch after lunch. It’s such a great, unique relationship we have.”

With only 10 games left in the regular season, Bjorklund admitted that Hershey’s Shepard and Stevenson’s goalkeeper squad are firmly firmly in the duo, which will lead the Bears into the playoffs as they seek a third straight Calder Cup title.

“If it was part of this road trip, or before the playoffs began, I would be happy to start the American League again, but I would be back in South Carolina and take care of the business there.”

It might be just a game, but Lehtola is happy with how his Protege takes the opportunity.

“If you get a seat in a game somewhere or somewhere, it’s up to you,” Letola said. “You give these opportunities, but ultimately it depends on them and how they perform, and he really shows that. I’m glad he has the opportunity.”