The Winnipeg Jets just added a big dose of offensive skill to their lineup.
Viggo Björck may be considered undersized by NHL standards, but he plays a big game. The forward met many challenges in 2025-26 — jumping up to Sweden’s top pro league, then onto the international stage at both the world junior and senior level — and he thrived every time.
The Jets clearly liked what they saw from the centre, selecting him eighth overall on Friday night.
Here’s what you need to know about the Jets’ picks:
Eighth Overall: Viggo Björck
2025-26 Team: Djurgårdens IF, SHL
Stat Line: 6G-9A-15PTS in 42 games
What you need to know about Björck:
Compared to some of his top-10 peers, Björck’s offensive numbers may not jump off the page — but context is important here. Björck played the majority of the 2025-26 season in Sweden’s top professional league — a league known for being tough on goal-scorers. As a teen suiting up against seasoned veterans (some twice his age), Björck showed off his creativity and command. A season’s worth of development paid off in the playoffs, where he tallied three points in three post-season games.
Björck’s draft stock really took a leap during his international stints, both on the world junior and world championship stage. He helped propel a star-studded Team Sweden to gold at the 2026 world juniors with nine points in seven games. He was also a standout on the senior national squad during the world championship this past spring, where he was the youngest Swede to ever dress at the tournament. There, he collected six points in eight games to lead all under-18 players. He showed he could stand out among NHLers in that tournament, and the Jets clearly noticed.
If you want to talk about fashion style, Björck may not be the expert — he was asked about that on the draft-day red carpet, and had a pretty humble response. But playing style? He has that in spades.
Words like “wizard” and “fearless” follow him around, thanks to his playmaking and ability to get into the dirty areas and emerge with the puck on his stick.
71st Overall: G Samuel Hrenak
2025-26 Team: Fargo Force, USHL
Stat Line: 7-1-1, 2.20 GAA, .918 save% in nine games.
The six-foot-three goalie played for Slovakia at the world junior championship and also scored a goal for Fargo this season.
116th Overall: LW Zach Wooten
2025-26 Team: Green Bay Gamblers, USHL
Stat Line: 35G-27A-62PTS in 61 Games
The 20-year-old broke out in his third full season in the USHL. He’s scheduled to play NCAA hockey for Wisconsin next season.
167th Overall: C Landon Hafele
2025-26 Team: Green Bay Gamblers, USHL
Stat Line: 15G-27A-42PTS in 57 games
The Jets stay in the USHL and Green Bay with this pick. Hafele is committed to Arizona State University.
199th Overall: D Noa Ta’amu
2025-26 Team: Edmonton Oil Kings, WHL
Stat Line: 3G-9A-12PTS in 62 games
The six-foot-two, 228-pound American was the only player from the CHL ranks to be picked by the Jets this year.
220th Overall: G Jack Parsons
2025-26 Team: Providence College, NCAA
Stat Line: 13-5-0, 2.05 GAA, .922 save% in 19 games
The six-foot-three American, 20, got on a serious roll for Providence College this season. He previously played for the U.S. National Team Development Program.