Bjork Has Made Sure to Embrace Vets' Advice

BostonBruins.com - Brad Marchand has been one of the league's top wingers for half a decade. With four consecutive 30-goal seasons - and likely another if the 2019-20 campaign resumes - it wouldn't appear that the 11-year NHL veteran has much to work on at this point.

But the best players are always pushing to improve. They never stop finding ways to better themselves, even if it means learning from players nearly 10 years their junior.

"If I see other guys doing something, I might try to work that into my game. Even young guys that come in now, they're so talented," Marchand said earlier this month. "I was watching [Anders] Bjork this year. He's got a couple moves that I've tried to incorporate into my game that were really difficult for me to do, but he makes it look so effortless."

That's high praise from the two-time All-Star, admiration that caught Bjork a bit off guard.

"I talk to Marchy about stuff…I don't know how many moves he's copying me on," Bjork said with a smile during a virtual chat with the media on Wednesday afternoon. "A couple times he asked me what I do in certain areas. I remember one time during 2-on-1s in practice he asked me how I do a certain move before I shoot.

"Having him have interest in some move that I do is a huge confidence builder in me. Those little conversations have kept me inspired and motivated and working hard throughout the season, which everyone knows is long and grueling."

Bjork certainly knows that as well as anyone. The 23-year-old has remained healthy throughout his third professional campaign, but that was not the case the previous two seasons, both of which were ended prematurely by shoulder surgeries.

Recovered from his latest procedure, the former Notre Dame standout came into camp last fall rejuvenated and ready to compete for a roster spot but ultimately began the season in Providence. When injuries opened up a spot with the big club in late October, Bjork got his chance and he made sure to seize the opportunity.

In 58 games with Boston, the Wisconsin native - playing mostly as a third-line winger alongside centerman Charlie Coyle - has tallied nine goals and 19 points, both career highs.

"There are some positives for sure," said Bjork, who noted that he is still working on shoring up his poise with the puck and finding a bit more grit in his game. "I think the thing that I was most pleased about is staying healthy the whole year, but I think I grew my game a good amount and developed the consistency that I've been focusing on.

"I don't think that's nearly where I want it to be, but I guess I kind of began to develop that consistency. I think there's a lot of areas I want to improve on when the season starts back up again whenever that may be."

Bjork is remaining hopeful that the season does resume, noting that it's been hard to truly reflect on his performance given that the possibility of playing again lives on. In the meantime, he is back at his family home in Wisconsin, training with his brother, Brady, and brother-in-law Mark Van Guilder, who plays professionally in Switzerland.

"Fortunately, we have a pretty good setup, I think it's pretty decent," said Bjork. "We've got some hockey guys to keep each other honest…we have some weights in the basement, been lifting a good amount and doing workouts down there…didn't have that back in Boston…the challenging part has been conditioning and staying in skating shape because we can't skate at all right now."

As such, Bjork and his brother invested in roller skates for some outdoor training.

"We used to play a lot of roller hockey together," said Bjork. "We've been doing that a good amount and using it as a training tool…there's a hill by our house that we skate up and do interval training on that.

"We've had to be a little creative but it's also been kind of fun and kept us busy trying to think of ways to keep in shape and try to get a leg up on the rest of the hockey guys…we have a shooting area in our basement too."

Should the Bruins play again this spring, that hard work will continue. Following the acquisitions of wingers Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase from the Anaheim Ducks around the trade deadline, Bjork found himself on the outside looking in for four of the five games leading up to the NHL's pause on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's a huge motivator for me, especially right now because I know the competition in Boston was always there," said Bjork. "The guys that are scratched, that's the hardest part of our coach's job is deciding who is gonna play because the competition is so tough. That's always been a motivator.

"But with the trades and me going out of the lineup right after that, I feel like I've got to put my work in to earn my spot back. That's the culture on our team, for sure. That's how we've been successful because guys are constantly pushing each other…it's really important to embrace that."

That kind of culture is, no doubt, passed down from the veteran core of Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, and David Krejci - among others - all of whom Bjork makes a point to learn from on a daily basis.

"I think that's something that is extremely special," said Bjork. "The biggest thing that I'm grateful for is just the day-to-day example they set. It's like, 'OK, if I want to be that good that's what I have to do. What from last game can I work on today?' That example was set every single day and is something that I really try to follow along."

And you can bet on those conversations with Marchand continuing, too.

"He saw that I was trying to work hard and I think he respected that and wanted to help," Bjork said of his previous chats with the winger. "He has so much expertise that I definitely welcomed it.

"That caused us to have more conversations during the year. He was as welcoming of that as anyone, so that was pretty cool."