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The youth movement is in full effect for the Boston Bruins, and it will most definitely continue on into next season, as the B’s have signed Anders Bjork to his three-year, entry-level contract. Bjork, who served as an alternate captain for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this past season, finished his junior year with 21 goals and 31 assists for 52 points – all career highs – with 16 penalty minutes and a plus-17 rating. The 5-foot-11 Bjork helped lead Notre Dame to a Frozen Four appearance for the first time since 2011, and was selected to the Hockey East First All-Star Team, and named a Hobey Baker Award (NCAA Top Collegiate Player) finalist at the year’s end. The 20-year-old also skated (albeit sparingly) for Team USA at the 2017 World Championships, too, as the club’s extra forward, with zero points and three shots on goal in five games for the Americans. Selected in the fifth round (146th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Bjork’s success with the Fighting Irish led some to believe (or rather wildly speculate) that Bjork could go the way of Jimmy Vesey and simply play out his college career and enter the free agent market to pick his destination, but the Bruins have always believed that their relationship with Bjork was a strong one. And his decision to forego his senior season, where Notre Dame could have probably had another shot at the first NCAA Championship in the program’s history, undoubtedly validated their beliefs in that regard. The negotiating process was a seemingly interesting one for the B’s and Bjork. They wanted to bring him in (and badly), and have seemingly guaranteed him a spot somewhere on their top-six out of the gate next season. Capable of playing both the left and right side, the Bruins could stick him as the right-side option with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand (can you think of a better way to begin your career?), or as a potential left-side solution to the David Krejci line. The latter seems like it would be more of a pressing need for the Bruins, too, as they are quite set on the right side between David Pastrnak and David Backes, and if Zach Senyshyn is capable of making the NHL jump next season. But can he make the jump? Most seem to think so. He’s a creative offensive talent, and his skating game is certainly a fit for where the NHL has clearly trended of late. That aforementioned versatility -- with the ability to play the left and right side, and some history at center (though that came way earlier in his career) -- is also a key for the Bruins. A Wisconsin native, Bjork recorded 40 goals and 109 points in 115 games for the Fighting Irish.
Ty Anderson is the Boston Bruins beat writer for WEEI.com, and has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010. He can be heard on the Saturday Skate program on 93.7 WEEI (Boston), and has been part of the Boston Chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.