NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Garin Bjorklund prepares himself ahead of puck drop for the first period in the Tigers 2-0 loss to the Calgary Hitmen on Mar. 26
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Garin Bjorklund is one step closer to his National Hockey League dream.
The Medicine Hat Tigers net minder signed a three-year NHL entry level contract with the Washington Capitals on Friday, weeks after his WHL season came to a close.
The 19-year-old was drafted 179th overall by the Capitals in the 2020 and joined the NHL club for training camp ahead of the 2021-22 Tigers season alongside Tigers defencemen Dru Krebs, who Washington took in the 2021 NHL draft. The Grande Prairie product’s goal was to then get his NHL deal.
“Hopefully I go there and show off what I’ve got, meet everyone and hopefully I play really well and my goal is to get a contract there,” Bjorklund said in September 2021.
He eventually returned to the Tigers for what was the hardest season in team history. Bjorklund was often the best player in orange and black this season despite what his numbers reflect. He appeared between the pipes in a career-high 48 games, where he had an 8-36-2 record with a 4.26 goals against average, .877 save percentage and one shutout.
Bjorklund appeared in 96 games with 40 wins and three shutouts during a four-year career after being selected 21st overall by the Tigers in 2017.
Bjorklund, along with Krebs, joined the Capital’s AHL affiliate Hershey Bears a few days after the Tigers season came to a close and signed amateur tryout contracts with the club on April 20. A week later the duo, along with multiple other prospects, were released from their ATOs ahead of the Bears starting the playoffs.
The net minder will likely head to training camp with the Capitals in the fall for a second time. If he does not stick with the team, or is not re-assigned to the AHL or ECHL, Bjorklund is still eligible to return to Medicine Hat next season as one of the club’s three over age players.
Mrsic named CSSHL U17 MVP
Tigers prospect Tomas Mrsic was named MVP of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League’s U17 Prep division.
The 16-year-old finished third in league scoring with 41 goals and 98 points in 28 games for the Delta Hockey Academy. Mrsic played a big role in the academy’s CSSHL championship run, notching eight goals and 20 points in five games.
The Surrey product was drafted eighth overall by the Tigers in the 2021 WHL draft in Dec and had one goal in 10 WHL games this season for the orange and black.
