A Look Back at Oliver Bjorkstrand's Impact in Cleveland

Mar 2, 2020

Oliver Bjorkstrand’s first taste of professional hockey proved to be one he would never forget after joining the 2015-16 Lake Erie Monsters and help win the Calder Cup. Drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Bjorkstrand played for the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks before being assigned to Cleveland to start his professional career.

 

“When you come right out of juniors you have to start adapting to the professional life and it is a good steppingstone for guys to play in the American Hockey League who need extra work [to] take that extra jump,” said Bjorkstrand. “I was fortunate to be in Cleveland. We went on a great tear there and won [the Calder Cup], so you could not ask for a better first season in the [league]”.

 

Bjorkstrand finished the regular season of his rookie campaign ranking third on the team in goals (17) and seventh in points (29) before moving into the postseason. The sharpshooting forward continued produce for the Monsters through the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs, scoring 10 goals including the most memorable tally in franchise history.

 

On June 11, 2016, the Monsters found themselves on the verge of a league title, leading the Hershey Bears three games to none in the Calder Cup Finals. After neither team was able to find the back of the net during regulation, the game went into Overtime with the extra frame sliding by scoreless well until the waning moments. With 1.9 seconds left, Bjorkstrand supplied Cleveland with the city’s first professional championship since 1964 and a timeless, iconic moment in Northeast Ohio hockey history.

 

“We lost two games the whole playoff series so obviously the team came together and played really good hockey,” said Bjorkstrand. “Scoring that [winning] goal was quite fun… not much went wrong. It was an exciting time. The team played really well and we got the win, so it was a great year.”

 

Suffice it to say, Bjorkstrand proved his value at the professional level and progressed to the NHL ranks shortly thereafter, beginning his major-league career with the Blue Jackets. Bjorkstrand has provided offense consistently throughout his NHL career, logging 133 points with 65 goals and 68 assists in 246 combined appearances for Columbus to date. The forward was most recently amid a six-game point streak before suffering an ankle injury.

 

With the Blue Jackets suffering numerous injuries this season, Columbus has frequently turned to the Monsters to fill organization voids, an arrangement that Bjorkstrand says benefits both clubs.

 

“I think it is good set up [for the organization] with us two hours apart. It’s easy for management to go down and see games and guys playing,” said Bjorkstrand. “Cleveland is a good place to have an AHL team… the fans like watching the games and there’s a lot of people that care about it.”

 

The Monsters return home to take on the Laval Rocket in this weekend's homestand. In honor of Bjorkstrand’s iconic Calder Cup-clinching goal, the first 10,000 fans through the gates at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, March 6 will receive a limited-edition bobblehead portraying Bjorkstrand’s once-in-a-lifetime goal, presented by Dominion Energy.