The real games haven’t even gotten underway yet, and already, the Detroit Red Wings are keeping tabs on the top Swedish prospect for the 2026 NHL entry draft.

Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit’s vice president of hockey operations, was recently scouting Djurgardens center Viggo Björck during SHL preseason action.

He came away suitably impressed.

“I see that he is a good skater, his eyes are up,” Lidstrom told Swedish Hockey News. “Strong in skating also for being as young as he is. You can see that he has good balance.

“He looks up all the time, scans the ice. A good, incredibly good player.”

Bjorck Quickly Making Strides

Björck was naturally excited to hear such compliments from an icon of Swedish hockey.

“It’s awesome,” Björck said. “He’s still a damn good player, from his time. It’s fun to hear.”

Björck collected 74 points in 42 games in the Swedish J20 league as a 16-year-old. He has split the Swedish preseason between the Djurgardens SHL team and the club’s junior squad.

“You become more and more comfortable the more you play and get into the tempo and such,” Björck, 17, said. “Of course, you are a little nervous. But I still think that is good. Then you get turned on and ready for the match.

“The coaches also help. They tell you what to do in terms of the game. But then they also say, ‘Don’t hesitate, just go for it. Make the decision you make. Then we can talk about it afterwards.

“You try to follow the system as best as possible, but don’t go around thinking about it too much. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes anyway.”

Lately, with the big club, he’s been skating on an all-teenager line with a pair of first-round picks from the 2025 NHL entry draft – Anton Frondell (third overall, Chicago) and Victor Eklund (16th overall, New York Islanders).

No Secret That Red Wings Like Swedes

A roster that already includes Lucas Raymond, Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, Jonatan Berggren, and Erik Gustafsson, it’s clear that the Red Wings are prone to collecting Swedes. Is it realistic that they might be adding Björck to that collection come next June?

Probably not.

Depending upon which mock draft you check, anticipation is that Bjorck will be selected in the 3-6 range early in the first round. The Red Wings would really need to endure a terrible 2025-26 season to be in a position to draft Björck.

Still, it never hurts to look. Or to hope.