Summer Spotlight: Bjork jumped right in a season ago and held his own

Number: 47

Birth date:Nov. 24, 1997 (age 25)

Birthplace:Umea, Sweden

Height, Weight:6-4, 211

2022-23 Stats:33 GP, 3-8-11

Contract:Signed through 2023-24 season (One year remaining until RFA status)

It's fair to say that it didn't seem likely Marcus Bjork would play nearly half of the games for the Blue Jackets last season.

When the campaign began, the Jackets were deep with experienced NHL defensemen, while Bjork was in his first season playing in North America. He had plenty of hockey under his belt as a four-year veteran of the Swedish Hockey League, but when Bjork signed with Columbus last summer, the thought was it might take him some time to get used to the smaller ice and the increased skill levels.

But with early season-ending injuries to Zach Werenski and Jake Bean, plus long-term maladies to Nick Blankenburg and Adam Bovqist, the Blue Jackets were suddenly in a pinch. After about a month with AHL Cleveland, Bjork was summoned and put right into the Blue Jackets lineup.

His experience overseas was a plus, as Bjork immediately moved up the lineup and earned power-play time while notching a 2-4-6 line in his first 12 games.

"Everything he's done has been consistent," then-head coach Brad Larsen said at the time. "You look at his plus-minus, you look at his games. He's taken on the hard assignments pretty much from day one when he got here, and I thought he's handled it very well. … He's a very simple player, but he's very consistent in what he does."

Bjork topped 20 minutes of ice time in nine of his first 18 games played, but the return to health of some of the CBJ blueliners first curtailed his ice time and then led to a January return to Cleveland. He was back-and-forth for the rest of the season, combining for 10 goals and 26 points in 77 games between the two levels, but showed he has what it takes to hang in the best league in the world.

Top Moment of 2022-23

Bjork made his debut a month into the NHL season when he skated Nov. 12 in a game at the New York Islanders. Not only that, he scored a goal in his debut, giving the Blue Jackets a 3-2 lead near the midway point of third period, much to the delight of his father and girlfriend in attendance. Bjork skated the puck into the zone but had it come off his stick at the blue line. The Blue Jackets were able to regain control of the puck, though, and Emil Bemstrom worked his way to the goal line before firing a hard backhanded attempt through the crease. The puck caromed off the boards and into the right circle, where Bjork was able to skate onto it and unleash a slap shot that beat Ilya Sorokin and gave the Jackets the lead.

Bjork's Top Highlight

Video: CBJ@NYI: Bjork scores in 3rd period

Stat to Know

Bjork will remember that goal above for the rest of his life, one would have to think, and he also made a bit of Blue Jackets history with the tally. Bjork became just the seventh CBJ player to score in the union blue sweater in his NHL debut, joining a list that includes David Vyborny, Rick Nash, Jakub Voracek, Nikita Filatov, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Trey Fix-Wolansky.

2023-24 Expectations

As a right-shot defenseman, Bjork faces stiff competition for playing time. But there are a lot of things going for him, including his veteran nature, ability to slot into the lineup with ease and solid two-way skills. It took a lot of injuries for Bjork to earn playing time last season, but he showed he's a capable player who can handle NHL minutes. He'll be a depth defenseman this year, one who can pop into the lineup at a moment's notice if the Blue Jackets need it.