Corey Pronman details what to expect from the Winnipeg Jets’ new prospects and how they fit into the farm system.

2026 Draft Grade: C

Winnipeg targeted a highly cerebral player in Viggo Björck at 8. He’s won scouts over with his mature, high-IQ game down the middle. He’s undersized, but his brain and compete are so elite that I think he can be a top-six center.

Viggo Bjorck goes to the Winnipeg Jets at No. 8

The Athletic Hockey Show

Draft Class

8. Viggo Björck, C, Djurgårdens IF (SHL)

March 12, 2008 | 5′ 9″ | 181 pounds

Tier: Bubble top and middle of the lineup player

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Above NHL average

Player comparable: Logan Stankoven

Analysis: Björck is a slick, playmaking center. He has tremendous creativity as both a puck handler and passer. He’s small and a good, but not great, skater, which raises some concerns about his NHL projection, particularly if he can stay in the middle. Björck is talented, but it’s his great compete and off-puck details that get evaluators excited. He wins a ton of battles, even versus men as a 17-year-old, is great defensively and is often trusted by coaches in all situations. He projects as a quality top-two-line center in the NHL.

Thoughts on the pick: I think there are some concerns his feet aren’t elite. I don’t think his skating is elite for his size. At the World Juniors, though, I thought he was better than Ivar Stenberg. At the World Championships, I thought he was just as good, if not better than Stenberg. I don’t think it would surprise anyone if three years from now, we’re talking about Björck as one of the best forwards in the draft.

71. Samuel Hrenak, G, Fargo Force (USHL)

March 19, 2008 | 6′ 3″ | 190 pounds

Tier: NHL prospect

Analysis: Hrenak bounced around this season between a few clubs and Europe and ended his season in the USHL. He’s a smart goalie who positions himself well and takes away angles well. I don’t think he has the quick twitch in his lower half you’d ideally like for higher levels, though.

116. Zach Wooten, C, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)

February 21, 2006 | 6′ 2″ | 205 pounds

135. Alexandre Taillefer, LHD, Québec Remparts (QMJHL)

January 1, 2008 | 6′ 0″ | 165 pounds

167. Landon Hafele, F, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)

September 18, 2007 | 6′ 0″ | 179 pounds

Tier: NHL prospect

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Analysis: Hafele is a winger full of energy. He’s a quick skater who plays fast. He’s very physical and competes at a high level. Hafele scored at a decent clip in the USHL this season, although scoring and creativity don’t project as his strong suit at higher levels. If he makes it, it’s likely as a fourth-line winger who’s hard to play against.

199. Noa Ta’amu, LHD, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

May 28, 2008 | 6′ 2″ | 227 pounds

220. John Parsons, G, Providence College (NCAA)

January 15, 2006 | 6′ 3″ | 194 pounds

Beat writer analysis

Winnipeg is a winner at the 2026 draft by virtue of Viggo Björck’s availability at No. 8.

The Jets’ next-highest pick was No. 71, making the Björck selection Winnipeg’s runaway highlight at a draft that also included Connor Hellebuyck trade negotiations that didn’t result in a trade. These considerations may be intertwined: The Jets are so high on Björck’s ability coming off an excellent World Championships that they feel he could make the team at training camp, while the absence of centre help by way of a Hellebuyck trade could open up a spot.

Jets director of amateur scouting Mark Hillier was effusive in his post-draft praise for Björck.

“He’s one of the most exciting draft picks I’ve ever had. I think he’s the smartest player in the draft this year. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve scouted,” Hillier said. “The more you watch him, you’re going to like him a little more each time. You’re going to see those little hockey sense and instinct things that coaches love. At the World Championships at the end of the year, he didn’t just make (Sweden’s) team. He was arguably their best player.”

Björck is under contract at Djurgårdens IF for one more season, where fellow top prospects like Anton Frondell and Viktor Eklund played in their post-draft seasons, but Hillier said he believes in Björck’s Jets potential.

“He’s got a chance. We drafted him keeping an open mind that he’s gonna be given an opportunity (at training camp). I just think if he signs, he’s going to make it real hard not to play him,” Hillier said.

The rest of Winnipeg’s draft picks convey organizational priorities. Green Bay Gamblers teammates Zach Wooten and Landon Hafele are also known for their “dog on a bone” mentality. The Jets are trying to prioritize competitiveness in all areas of the game: speed, hockey IQ and the kind of work ethic that helps players improve over the long run. Björck is the most highly touted and is known for being the first player on the ice and the last one off it, but the Jets tried to prioritize that characteristic in all of their picks.

They also took two goalies for the first time in franchise history, including Samuel Hrenak of the Fargo Force at No. 71 — the second-highest pick Winnipeg has ever used on a goaltender. It may look like Hellebuyck insurance at first glance, but the reality is that Winnipeg needs future coverage in goal. Dom DiVincentiis and Thomas Milic will share netminding duties in Manitoba again this season but the Jets didn’t have a next wave of goaltending prospects behind them. Hrenak, who was spectacular for Slovakia at the U18 World Championships, will play for Fargo in the USHL this season, while late-blooming goalie John Parsons, drafted 220th, will return to Providence College. Winnipeg has time to wait on them in a way it can’t wait to resolve the Hellebuyck situation in the NHL.

If any of the players Winnipeg took at No. 71 or later make the NHL, it will be a victory that harkens back to the Jets’ glory days of drafting and development from 2011-2015. Björck alone should make the Jets’ 2026 draft a win and help Jets fans move past the miserable season that led to the pick. — Murat Ates