Viggo Björck likely expects to be counted on in Winnipeg this season. The Jets likely expect to count on Björck. To be competitive, Mark Scheifele and company need Björck to contribute immediately. Is there a Viggo Björck comparison among recent centers selected outside the top five who made the NHL immediately?
The question heading into the 2026-27 season is exactly how much the Jets can count on the eighth overall draft pick from the 2026 NHL Draft.
Where Viggo Björck Stands in Winnipeg Right Now
Murat Ates, who covers Winnipeg for The Athletic, recently ranked Björck as the number five center on the organizational depth chart. At first glance, Björck needs a major effort to make the team. After all, why would the Jets keep a waiver-exempt, high-value 18-year-old on the roster if he wasn’t going to play?
The obvious answer: the Jets wouldn’t do that. Still, Björck could force his way higher into the lineup if he lives up to the promise many believe he carries. In fact, some argued that Björck should have been a top-five pick in June’s entry draft.
Even the most optimistic Björck believers know it’s not easy to project an undersized 18-year-old into an NHL lineup, let alone the upper half of that lineup. It’s even harder to project them immediately to center. There are two interesting recent examples of centers unexpectedly forcing their way into the NHL in the year after they were drafted. These centers present as curious Viggo Björck comparisons in 2026-27.
Ben Kindel’s Brilliance in Pittsburgh is an Ideal Comparison
First, let’s rule out players like Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard. It’s fair to say that Björck, drafted eighth overall, is not being held in the same esteem within the prospect community as those players.
It’s difficult to overstate how important Ben Kindel was to Pittsburgh last season. And if Kindel winds up being a Viggo Björck comparison, Jets fans likely will be over the moon.
Kindel, a similarly undersized center, scored 35 points in 77 games for the Penguins. That may seem pedestrian, but achieving that as an 18-year-old whom many never expected to play in the NHL so quickly is remarkable on its own. Coincidentally, Kindel’s advanced metrics also sparkled.
Kindel, a 5-foot-11 center, anchored the team’s third line for much of the season. The Penguins regularly won when Kindel was on the ice, according to advanced metrics. And, remarkably, Kindel played responsibly in his own end while achieving this. That, of course, can be common for young, offensive-minded forwards. While Kindel broke even in goals for versus against, his advanced metrics — Corsi, Fenwick, shots, scoring chances and high-danger chances — were positive, all according to Natural Stat Trick. Notably, Kindel was actually a full month younger in his draft year than Björck is now.
That should encourage Winnipeg Jets fans hoping Björck can at least claim one of the center roles. Critically, Kindel also unexpectedly helped the Penguins make the playoffs. This is the idealized Viggo Björck comparison.
Cole Sillinger Presents a Conservative Viggo Björck Comparison
Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger is another player who unexpectedly forced his way onto the roster of the team that drafted him far earlier than expected. Sillinger made the extremely rare transition directly from the USHL to the NHL. He finished his rookie season with 31 points in 79 games. That may look similar to Kindel’s stat line, but below the surface there were some differences. And, notably, Sillinger was the youngest of the three compared to the rest of his draft class.
Unlike Kindel, Sillinger was underwater everywhere in 2021-22. That was a tough year for the Jackets, who finished below .500 by NHL standards with just 81 points. Without the insulation provided by elite players like Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson, Sillinger didn’t have the same type of success in his rookie season as Kindel. Sillinger spent the season deep underwater in every advanced metric. Most importantly, he finished minus-21 in goal differential at five-on-five. This is probably a Viggo Björck comparison that would concern Jets fans.
Sillinger has shown real under-the-radar growth over the past two seasons, yet his point production has been remarkably flat. Sillinger finished the 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2025-26 seasons with remarkably consistent point totals: 0.39 points per game, 0.42 points per game and 0.41 points per game, respectively. For his career, he’s a 31-point-per-82-game player. Sillinger finished between 31 and 33 points in four of five seasons in the NHL. Consequently, it’s fair to wonder if there’s any more meat on the bone. Sillinger, even with increased playing time last year, saw his five-on-five points per 60 minutes decline, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Viggo Björck’s Role in 2026-27
Ultimately, it seems pretty difficult to imagine Björck jumping onto the second line for Winnipeg next season, which is probably the hope. Even if he compares to Kindel, Björck is likely a third-line center as a rookie.
Still, his pedigree makes it hard to ignore Kindel as a potential Viggo Björck comparison. In a third-line center role, assuming the second line takes on shutdown responsibilities, Winnipeg could see a surprising resurgence following last season’s monument to underachieving.
Even if they can’t get back to playoff contention, the Jets should at least be competitive.
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