Why Viggo Bjorck Will Be Interesting for NY Rangers to Consider in NHL Draft

Here's why Viggo Bjorck will be an interesting player for the New York Rangers to consider drafting.

Apr 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan speaks to reporters after a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers will be hard at work in the coming weeks preparing for the 2026 NHL Draft, where they will hold two first-round picks. 

Due to the struggles of the Rangers this season, it was clear right away that the team was likely to be picking pretty high in the NHL Draft. New York finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference and the third-worst record overall. This gave them about an 11% chance of landing the first overall pick, but they unfortunately had two teams jump them, and they landed with the fifth pick. 

While the team might consider moving this pick if an established star becomes available, they will most likely use the pick, and trading the latter of their two first-round picks is more likely. 

Due to the team falling to the lowest that they could have gone in the draft, it has opened up a lot more possibilities for who they may select. With options being a bit uncertain depending on what happens ahead of them, one prospect to watch is center Viggo Bjorck. 

Björck Will Be an Interesting Prospect to Monitor

New York Rangers forward Vincent Trochek / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Assuming New York is on the clock with the fifth overall pick and the likes of Ivar Stenberg and Caleb Malhotra are off the board, they very well could consider going with a center to fill an organizational need. 

Up the middle, the team currently has Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, and Vincent Trochek on their first three lines at center. However, while that is solid on paper, the team is going to be shopping Trocheck this summer once again after failing to deal him at the trade deadline, and that creates a void. 

New York has a desire to get some younger talent at the position, and Bjorck might be the best center in the draft behind Malhotra. While he might not have a ton of size at 5’9” and 177 pounds, he is a fantastic playmaker and could be a point-per-game player in the NHL one day. 

That is certainly an appealing prospect to target, but New York generally likes their centers to be a bit bigger. Furthermore, for a team that is seeking to retool and compete, he might be a slight reach compared to some of the defensemen who figure to be available. However, if it is close or there is a toss-up, the positional need could be the tie-breaker.