After A Lost Season Amid Major Back Surgery, Bjorklund Ready To Give All He's Got To Capitals & Move Up Depth Chart

The 21-year-old netminder missed out on his rookie pro season after a couple of herniated discs, but he's healthy now and ready to prove himself to the Capitals organization.

ARLINGTON, V.A. -- Taking the ice in the fall for Washington Capitals training camp, Garin Bjorklund felt that 2022-23 would be his year. A huge opportunity was waiting for him with the entry-level deal he signed in April, and after turning 20, he had that chance to go pro following time in Medicine Hat.

Then, while in net prepping for a potentially life-altering season, he felt something tweak in his back. It wasn't anything major at the time, let alone anything that stopped the prospect from going about his regularly scheduled programming. So, he continued on and headed to the AHL's Hershey Bears for their training camp in October.

But then the pain started to linger and get worse. And worse. And worse, to the point where he had to see a doctor. There, it was revealed that it wasn't a tweak after all. It was a couple of herniated discs.

"You really don't see it coming and you think it might go away," Bjorklund told The Hockey News.

But it didn't go away. Even a shot of cortisone wasn't enough to relieve the pain, and the budding prospect was stopped in his tracks when he was told the only solution would be back surgery.

"Obviously not ideal," the soft-spoken netminder said bluntly.

The surgery was a success, though, and Bjorklund headed to Charleston, South Carolina, for a gruelling five months of rehabilitation. It took its mental and physical toll -- especially in the beginning -- as he watched his fellow netminders in the organization take over the crease without him.

"For the first two months, I was kind of on bed rest. Couldn't really move," he said.

After that, it was three months of working on and off the ice to get his strength back and get into the rhythm of playing again. His recovery led to a boost in confidence, and eventually, he earned what he'd been working for his whole life: his first pro hockey start.

On April 15, Bjorklund was between the pipes for South Carolina's season finale against the Jacksonville Ice Men. In fitting fashion, the game went to a shootout and rested on the Alberta native's shoulders.

Ultimately, he stopped three of four shots and Jacksonville's last chance for a 5-4 victory. He made 28 saves total for his first pro win, and his body shook with excitement as he was finally rewarded for months of hard work.

"This season was a roller coaster," he said.

Looking back, Bjorklund admitted that while it's hard to give credit to a devastating injury like that, the experience made him stronger. And now that he's 100 percent healthy, the confidence is back, and the resilience spoke volumes for the front office.

"For a guy who missed the whole year, which again, that's really hard, he had a real good camp. He's happy to be healthy out there and participating," assistant general manager Ross Mahoney said, adding, "That's all part of his development."

Looking ahead to this year, Bjorklund has his sights set on not just playing a full pro season, but making it one step closer to his dream of the NHL. He will have a chance to make the AHL roster with Hunter Shepard now in need of a backup.

There's no doubt the competition will be fierce with Mitchell Gibson and Clay Stevenson also in the mix, and of course, missing a full year of development doesn't help, either.

But for Bjorklund, that's all outside noise. Now, it's just a matter of staying focused, staying healthy and staying driven to earn that opportunity.

"Obviously, me being hurt last year, it kind of puts me in a tough position getting sent back to Charleston, but you never know how things can turn out," he said. "I can have a good camp and be in Hershey. That's the goal; we'll just see how it all plays out."