They say don't meet your heroes, but Winnipeg Jets' 2026 first round pick had the chance to shake his hero's hand earlier this spring.

Swedish centreman Viggo Björck has spent years studying Sidney Crosby.

On Friday night, less than an hour after becoming the eighth overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, the 18-year-old forward admitted it's nearly impossible to replicate the game of one of hockey's greatest players.

"Growing up, I've always watched a lot of Sidney Crosby," Björck told The Hockey News after his selec tion. "It's hard to model a game after a player like him. But I really looked at his game a lot."

Earlier this spring, Björck got the opportunity to face his childhood idol while representing Sweden at the IIHF World Championship.

The game itself was memorable enough, but what followed afterward, by happenstance, made it unforgettable:

"I had an interview with Swedish television and he was just standing behind me," Björck recalled with a smile of his momentary interaction with Crosby. "I was shocked turning around and seeing him. It was a cool moment."

That encounter eventually led to something even more meaningful. Before the tournament, Björck's older brother had encouraged him to ask Crosby for a stick if the opportunity ever presented itself. There was no better time than the present. 

"When I saw him behind me, I had promised my brother that I would take the chance to ask him for a stick," Björck said. "Later on, when we went to the playoffs, he came with it and just left it outside the locker room. Super nice of him."

Today, the signed stick sits safely at home in Sweden. While Crosby may be the player Björck admired most growing up, he says his biggest influence has always been much closer - that same older brother.

"Having a brother that's two years older than me, I looked up to him a lot," he reminisced. "Playing games with him and every type of competitive game... it's been a really fun journey."

Those sibling battles became legendary around the family home. With temperatures sometimes dipping down below zero in Sweden, a backyard rink occasionally was built. And when available, the ice patch served as their battleground.

"No one wants to lose," Björck laughed. "If you lose, you don't get the bragging rights in front of your parents."

The Jets' newest player believes that those fiercely competitive games helped carve out both the player and person he has become.

"I think that shaped you as well as a player and as a person."

"I think I'm a competitive player," he said. "I think I play big, even though I'm not the tallest. And I try to be smart out there. Use my brain a lot."

His development has also been accelerated over the past season, as he has played against men in Sweden's top professional league.

"I definitely think it helped me," Björck said. "It's a very competitive league with some really good players. It's definitely helped my development."

Björck is expected to attend Jets development camp beginning on Monday, June 29, before he returns to Sweden for another season with Djurgårdens IF, where he hopes to continue rounding out his game.

"I want to work on my shot a lot," he said. "Just keep working on everything, be competitive and train against very good people."

Although he believes another season in the SHL is the right path, Björck isn't putting a timeline on his North American arrival.

"The most important thing is just to keep working and get better every day," he said. "If you get better all the time, eventually your chance will come and then you just have to take it."

But for now, it's all about soaking in moment.

"It's super special," Björck said. "You grow up playing hockey and getting to the NHL is your dream. This is a good step on the way."