Age:20
Stats: 56 GP, 10-10-20, -10, 1.7 PS
Coming into the season: There was excitement around Bemstrom for what he did a season ago in his native Sweden. At just age 19, he led the Swedish Hockey League with 23 goals with Djurgårdens and also was impressive at the World Juniors for his native country. Unlike fellow European standout Alexandre Texier, Bemstrom didn't get the chance to come to North America at the end of last year to show his skills, but he was still expected to come to the NHL and add some offense despite his young age.
Why he showed he's a building block: It has been a process for Bemstrom, but the flashes have kept coming more and more as he gained experience and figured out how to play at the world's highest level.
Bemstrom was a part of the Blue Jackets lineup pretty much all season, missing only about a month after suffering an injury in December while playing against Florida. He has played with a bevy of forward lines throughout the year but showed his best hockey down the stretch.
Slowly but surely you could see him getting used to the speed of the NHL game and the anticipation necessary to make plays, and Bemstrom looked his best in the time before the coronavirus pause, as in the team's last eight games he tallied five of his 10 goals on the season. Included were the game-winning goals in the team's last two home wins, as he tallied in overtime vs. Ottawa and scored the deciding power-play goal vs. Vancouver.
In particular, he was a useful piece on the power play, scoring five of his goals this year on the man advantage to tie Zach Werenski for the team lead. He found a variety of ways to score, but most noticeable is his shot, as Bemstrom has a heavy shot and is adept at taking one-timers, especially on the power play.
There were times he appeared a bit overwhelmed on the ice, as could be expected with any rookie, but he has looked more and more comfortable as the season went on and gained confidence as he started scoring goals down the stretch. He also was paired with Pierre-Luc Dubois in the team's last stretch before the pause, and the two appeared to have some chemistry together.
"He's beginning to score some goals," head coach John Tortorella said after the March 1 win vs. Vancouver. "I think he has to improve a tremendous amount as far as puck battles. He wins a puck battle in the neutral zone before the penalty is called (leading up to his winner against the Canucks). I think he sees a chance. He's playing with Luc, and we were putting those guys out there quite a bit.
"So it is a process for him to understand how important it is to play away from the puck. I think it's been a major struggle for him as far as puck battles, but we're going to give him an opportunity. The puck follows him a little bit as far as scoring the goals."
What to expect going forward:In speaking with Bemstrom down the stretch, he admitted the year has been a bit of a whirlwind, but he now understood fully just how important his play away from the puck would be going forward. But what will be fun to watch out of the young Swede as he plays more NHL hockey is how his offensive game develops, as you could see his anticipation skills improved as the season went on. He has a high-level shot and spent his freshman year in the league learning how to get it off quickly, and it's not hard to imagine him becoming a 20- to 30-goal scorer in the league as he matures.
