LYNNWOOD — Oliver Bjorkstrand is on the kind of roll rarely seen in WHL history.
The Portland Winterhawks winger is lighting up scoreboards like a pinball machine, putting up numbers that place him among the elite in WHL history.
And if the Everett Silvertips are to maintain pole position in the race for the U.S. Division championship, they’re going to have to find a way to slow the Great Dane down in Wednesday’s showdown.
Bjorkstrand, a 19-year-old right wing from Denmark, may just be the frontrunner for the league’s MVP award. The 6-fooot, 168-pounder, who was a third-round pick by the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2013 NHL draft, leads the league in goals with 52 and ranks second in the league in scoring with 97 points. Bjorkstrand’s unique combination of elite skill, shot and skating ability make him a headache for any opponent he faces.
“He’s right up there (with the best players Everett has faced this season),” said Everett assistant coach Brennan Sonne, who conducted Monday’s optional practice at Lynnwood Ice Center. “He’s extremely quick, he’s got an NHL shot, he just finds the nice quiet areas to get those passes from his linemates. He’s up there, and he has the supporting cast to really make it difficult to play against.”
Everett and Portland square off for the final time this season Wednesday at Xfinity Arena in a game that has huge implications for the U.S. Division title. The Tips are currently in first place, a position Everett has held almost the entire season. However, Portland is in hot pursuit, having closed within four points by going 16-1-2-0 in its past 19 games, and the Winterhawks have two games in hand.
Bjorkstrand has been the primary dynamo in Portland’s power surge.
The third-year player has been excellent for the Winterhawks since the moment he stepped in the league. This is his second straight 50-goal season, making him the first player with back-to-back 50-goal seasons since Brandon’s Eric Fehr in 2003-04 and 2004-05. His 50th, 51st and 52nd goals came in his 50th game, making him part of the exclusive 50-50 club of players who reached 50 goals in 50 games — Medicine Hat’s Emerson Etem was the last player to accomplish the feat in 2011-12, and prior to that it hadn’t been done since Swift Current’s Layne Ulmer achieved the mark in 2000-01.
As well as Bjorkstrand has played all season long, he’s been even better of late. Bjorkstrand had a streak of scoring goals in 12 straight games ended during Saturday’s 6-2 victory over Tri-City. The 12-game streak snapped Portland’s franchise record of 11 (by Tony Currie in 1976-77) that stood for nearly 40 years, and it was the longest in the league since Swift Current’s Jeremy Williams scored goals in 13 straight games in November-December of 2003. Bjorkstrand scored 21 goals during his 12-game streak, scoring multiple goals in half of those games. Even when he had his streak snapped Saturday he still managed to dish out two assists.
Portland coach Jamie Kompon said Bjorkstrand has elevated his play since helping Denmark win its first ever game at the World Junior Hockey Championships over the holidays.
“I don’t think there’s an adjective or superlative I could use to describe Oliver’s game,” Kompon said. “One thing I will say is that he’s a better person than he is a player. He cares so much about the team. You can look at his numbers, but he puts the team before himself.
“He finds a way every time,” Kompon continued. “I don’t think I can recall a player ever having the kind of impact on a string of games that he’s had. When he has the puck you know something’s going to happen. He’s on an amazing roll and he’s gaining more and more confidence each and every day.”
If Everett wants to win Wednesday’s game, the Tips have the difficult task of trying to figure out how to slow Bjorkstrand down.
“I think you have to take away as much time and space as you can,” Sonne said. “I think you have to work really hard, and I think you have to limit turnovers at both blue lines, both our offensive blue line and defensive blue line.
“He’s going to be a huge factor (Wednesday),” Sonne added. “He’s one of their best players, if not their best player. He’s one of the best players in the league, so he’s going to be a pretty big factor, I’m sure.”
And if the Tips want to maintain the advantage in the race for the division banner, they’re going to have to figure out how to keep Bjorkstrand a small factor instead of a big one.
Around the WHL
It was a big week for WHL players signing NHL contracts. … Seattle’s Justin Hickman signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Boston Bruins. The 20-year-old forward, who is out for the season because of a shoulder injury, was a free agent. … Medicine Hat’s Tyler Lewington signed an entry-level deal with the NHL’s Washington Capitals. The 20-year-old defenseman was also a free agent. … Kelowna’s Tyrell Goulbourne signed an entry-level deal with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. The 20-year-old forward was a third-round pick in the 2013 NHL draft. … Brandon’s Peter Quenneville was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 20-year-old forward had six goals and three assists as the Wheat Kings went 2-0. … Portland’s Oliver Bjorkstrand was named the WHL Player of the Month for February. The 19-year-old forward had 13 goals and eight assists in nine games. … Red Deer’s Rylan Toth was named the WHL Goaltender of the Month for February. The 18-year-old was 4-3-0-1 with a 2.46 goals against average and .922 save percentage.
Leaders
Points — Trevor Cox (Medicine Hat) 100; goals — Oliver Bjorkstrand (Portland 52); assists — Cox 75; penalty minutes — Keegan Kanzig (Calgary) 148; wins — Jordan Papirny (Brandon) 40; goals against average — Carter Hart (Everett) 2.20; save percentage — Adin Hill (Portland) .926.
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