Bjork strengthens game
Injury-filled season a learning experience
Last season was the Year of the Rookie for the Bruins.
Charlie McAvoy, as expected, popped out as the B’s next No. 1 defenseman. Jake DeBrusk emerged as a top-six forward and fan favorite. Danton Heinen made himself a very useful utility forward. Matt Grzelcyk proved he could be an everyday NHL defenseman. Sean Kuraly was the rambunctious fourth-liner he promised to be in the playoffs the year before.
For Anders Bjork, perhaps the most touted of the rookies after McAvoy, the season was a false start. Now the Notre Dame product is doing his best to not make it a wasted year.
Bjork, who started last season with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, learned his first hard lesson on Nov. 11 when he was skating through center ice and ran straight into big Maple Leafs forward Matt Martin. Bjork missed several weeks with a concussion. When he returned, he scuffled and was sent to AHL Providence. Upon returning to the big club, he suffered a separated shoulder when he walked into a hit from Anaheim’s Francois Beauchemin on Jan. 30. With surgery needed, his season was over.
It was not how Bjork wanted it to go, but it gave him ample time to watch and learn.
“(I concentrated on) some stuff in the (defensive) zone, just being more responsible and smarter, not jumping in when I don’t have to, closing on guys at the right time,” said Bjork. “Also, I want to try to shoot the puck more. I’ve been working on my shot a lot more over the summer. I’m more confident in it and I want to use that confidence to shoot more and shoot from good areas. That’s really important for me to take my game to the next level.”
He also added some needed muscle.
“I think for me, having more stability and power in the upper body will come in handy during the season, especially playing against bigger guys,” he said. “I spent a little more time on that, as well as some of the mechanics of my shot.”
Assistant coach Joe Sacco said the time in the weight room was important for Bjork.
“That’s a big part of it for him, getting stronger and being able to play through some of those little injuries that come up during the course of the season,” said Sacco. “He’s not unlike a lot of other guys. He’s in a position where he’s competing for ice time. He’s a guy that makes plays. He creates offense. So he’s going to have to do that. There are other parts of his game that we’re trying to grow as well, whether it’s defensive responsibilities and play away from the pucks and things like that. But he’s a guy we’re looking at to provide some offense for us, so that’s going to be something he’ll have to do.”
Having more on-ice awareness will also be imperative.
“Yeah, especially the Matt Martin hit, which people bring up a good amount. I sort of had my head down there,” said Bjork. “That’s something I think the veteran guys are more aware of, who’s on the ice and when you’re coming up the middle of the ice with speed, you have to have a quick reaction time and be ready to move out of the way in case somebody’s coming.
“I think that, along with building my strength up and trying to engage first, would be helpful. That’s why I tried to build my strength up as well.”
On the first day of training camp yesterday, Bjork skated on the right wing with Kuraly at center. There is an open slot in the top six, and he would love to reclaim his spot with Bergeron, but he’s not laser-focused on that goal.
“If I’m lucky enough to play with Bergy and Marchie, that would be incredible, but I’m not expecting anything like that,” said Bjork. “I’m just trying to do the best I can and trying to be more versatile, too. Being able to play different roles is big. I think playing in the middle of the ice a little bit would be good for my game, not necessarily taking a ton of faceoffs but just in the (defensive) zone.
“I think having an open mind coming into camp is important because you want to be there for the team when they need you and be able to adapt. That’s something I’m focusing on for sure.”