Bjorkstrand dazzles with ‘that shot!’

Oliver Bjorkstrand has stamped his presence in the Blue Jackets’ lineup since he was recalled from the minors three week ago, so much so that general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and coach John Tortorella have said they view his arrival like that of a major acquisition at the trade deadline.

Tortorella seems pleasantly mystified by Bjorkstrand. He expected him to make the club out of training camp — “I had him written down there,” he said — but he wasn’t ready. When Bjorkstrand was sent back down to the minors after two games in early December, Tortorella made it seem like he was signing off on the 21-year-old until next season. Now he’s the second-hottest Blue Jackets player, trailing only goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who carries a three-game shutout streak into a game tonight at Nationwide Arena against the Buffalo Sabres.

Bjorkstrand has four goals, three assists and a plus-6 rating in 10 games since his recall, including two game-winning goals, most recently Tuesday in a 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils.

But it’s how he has scored that has sent a jolt

through the Blue Jackets’ dressing room.

“That shot!” captain Nick Foligno said.

Bjorkstrand has a quick-snap release that puts him among a rare collection of players in the NHL, but it’s the deception he creates with unusual release points and leg kicks that stands out.

“It’s so hard to stop that shot (in practice),” said Bobrovsky, who is stopping everything right now. “The shot is unbelievable, because he disguises it so well and he times it so. He is definitely a big-time sniper. You can see he has a big future.”

Steven Stamkos of Tampa Bay and Jeff Carter of Los Angeles are known for their quick-snap releases. Bjorkstrand’s is different.

“It’s a wrister-snapper,” Tortorella said, noting that Bjorkstrand will launch the puck from in tight on his body — almost in his skates — and outside his body, almost a whip-action.

Bjorkstrand has said

he cares more about keeping the goaltender off-balance and picking his spot than trying to blast the puck through the goaltender.

On Sunday at New Jersey, Bjorkstrand skated around the left circle, across the slot, avoided a New Jersey check and beat Devils goaltender Cory Schneider with a highlight worthy wrist shot as he skated into the right circle.

“Most guys will pull the puck back before they shoot, and then the goalie is able to time it,” Foligno said. “Bjorky pushes it in front of him and then it’s off with a quick little ‘boom!’ ”

Tortorella does not shower praise on 21-yearolds, typically. But his eyes beamed when asked to define Bjorkstrand’s shot.

“That is a God-given ability,” Tortorella said. “I’m not sure if he has worked at it when he was younger or if it’s just innate, but I think it’s just within him. It’s just like his ability to get open. You can’t teach it. A lot of guys think they’re getting open, but they’re hiding in the weeds and you can’t find ’em. He has that natural ability and the puck tends to follow him.”

Bjorkstrand did, in fact, work on his shot when he was young. Not with a professional coach, but for hours on end with a setup his father constructed behind their home in Denmark.

“We didn’t have a lot of ice (rinks) in Denmark, so in summer I worked in the backyard,” Bjorkstrand said. “I had a shooting pad and black net. There’s no special formula, just a lot of shooting in the backyard.

“Goalies are so good now. It doesn’t have to be the hardest shot. But if you can get a quick release and surprise the goalie — if he doesn’t see it for a split second — that’s when you can score.”