The Winnipeg Jets made one of the most talked about picks of the first round on Friday night, selecting Swedish forward Viggo Björck eighth overall. Winnipeg is thin at the top of their lineup and desperately in need of offensive firepower in their top-six, and Björck has the offensive toolkit to eventually become exactly that. 

But the question Jets fans are already asking is simple: how soon?

The answer is more complicated than it might appear, but there is genuine reason to believe Björck could be in the conversation for NHL time sooner than most first-year draft picks.

What separates Björck from the typical 18-year-old entering the draft is that he has already played professional hockey. This past season in the Swedish Hockey League, one of the most defensively structured leagues in the world, Björck produced 15 points in 42 games, a meaningful output for a player his age in that environment. 

When the competition dropped back to the junior level, the results were startling. Björck recorded 20 points in just nine playoff games in the U20 Nationell, a pace that made abundantly clear that Swedish junior hockey no longer poses a meaningful challenge for him.

Björck can continue developing in the SHL, where the pro game will continue to sharpen him. He can make the jump to North America and join the Manitoba Moose in the AHL, beginning his adjustment to the North American game right away. 

Or, in the most optimistic scenario, he pushes for a roster spot with the Jets themselves. If he is going to play at the pro level regardless, the argument for getting him over to North America sooner rather than later is a compelling one.

His size will be the primary factor working against an immediate NHL push. At five-foot-nine and 181 pounds, breaking into the league in year one would put him in rare company. Some of the best five-foot-nine or smaller forwards playing today, including Alex DeBrincat, Logan Stankoven, Brad Marchand, Cole Caufield, Marco Rossi and Lane Hutson, all needed at least one full season before cracking their respective NHL rosters. 

One of the few notable exceptions at a comparable size is Kailer Yamamoto, who is also five-foot-nine and was selected 22nd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2017, who appeared in nine games that same season and recorded three points before returning to junior hockey.

That Yamamoto blueprint may be the most realistic projection for Björck in year one. A brief look with the Jets late in the season, a handful of games to test the waters at the NHL level, with the bulk of his development coming either in the SHL or with the Moose in the AHL. 

If Björck spends most of next season adjusting to the North American game, he could be positioned to give Winnipeg a meaningful boost down the stretch and potentially factor into a playoff push by the time spring arrives.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.