Get to know Ivar Stenberg and Viggo Björck, Sweden’s NHL Draft stars
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Ivar Stenberg is on pace for 47 points in 48 games with Frolunda in the top Swedish league.
He’s 18 years old. Only one U-19 player in SHL history has ever cracked the 40-point barrier – Daniel Sedin (42 in 1998-99). Only one active NHLer – Elias Lindholm – has ever hit 30. He already has the 13th most productive season by a player his age ever, and no other U-19 player has even surpassed 20 this year.
So, yeah. Stenberg is having one heck of a season. And he’s continuing his hot play at the World Junior Championship in Minnesota. Stenberg enters the final day of round-robin action against the United States with three points in three games. He hasn’t been explosive on the scoresheet, by any means. But he has continued to be a positive top-six contributor with points in every game.
Many believe Stenberg has a real chance at going No. 1 in the NHL Draft.
“He’s got the poise, the skill and the numbers to back it up,” one scout said.
And then there’s Viggo Björck (he’s related to Charlotte Perrelli, one of the biggest singers in Sweden). Once considered a potential top-three prospect for 2026, he has fallen a bit to more of a mid-first-rounder. But Björck has been Sweden’s second best player behind Anton Frondell since the start of World Junior training camp, and Björck now sits with three through three games.
Sweden’s dynamic duo occupy the team’s second line, where they’re proving to be absolute nuisances. Stenberg might be the higher-profile prospect, but Björck has been the better player in Minnesota. If Stenberg can match that energy, the Swedes will be downright dangerous when it matters.
Stenberg, the younger brother of St. Louis Blues forward Otto Stenberg, is no stranger to huge international performances. Ivar had 10 points at the 2023 U-17 World Challenge and eight goals and 13 points en route to silver at the 2025 U-18 World Championship. With 51 points in 29 games with the U-18 national team last year, no other junior national team player was remotely close to catching him.
“He’s relaxed,” said Chicago Blackhawks prospect Anton Frondell. “He doesn’t think about that, he doesn’t talk about it. I think he’s handling well… Other guys would maybe start thinking, ‘Oh, I need to score this game.’ He’s just out there playing.”
From a style perspective, there’s a little bit of Jason Robertson and Tim Stutzle to Stenberg’s game. His all-around game and quick shot release feel a bit like Robertson, while Stenberg’s skating and playmaking prowess remind scouts (and Stenberg himself) of Stutzle.
And then there’s Björck, who models his game after Sidney Crosby. Björck put himself on the map in 2023-24, when he had 98 points in just 36 games against Swedish U-18 competition. He averaged a point per game with the U-17 national team over a two-year span before having an excellent showing at the U-18s a year ago. Björck hasn’t been as impressive as Stenberg in the SHL, but Björck still has eight points in 24 games with Djurgardens, where he plays with Frondell.
Björck can play both center and the wing, and while scouts wish he’d be bulkier (he’s 5-foot-10), his hockey IQ is off the charts. Björck’s shot is incredibly deceptive, especially on the power play. He doesn’t give you much to work with if you’re a goalie – and it’s because he doesn’t need to. Quick, accurate and always in a dangerous spot.
“He’s the best guy for his age,” Frondell said. “He has a good shot. He’s fast. He can (pull off) dangles and he’s not afraid on the ice… He wins every puck battle. He’s always in front of the net, and his playmaking is insane, too.”
“He’s one of the most mature guys I’ve ever met, even though he’s 17,” New York Islanders prospect Victor Eklund added. “I would say more mature than me, to be honest, both on the ice and off the ice. He plays huge. He plays mature, he does what takes to to win.”
Sweden enters Wednesday – the final day of the round robin – with a chance to win Group A. A victory against the United States in any fashion will secure the top spot ahead of the playoff round on Friday. Sweden’s game plan early on seemed to be all about getting Frondell the puck with every chance they could get.
But that was never going to last. Instead, teams are starting to learn quickly that if you give the two yung guns a chance with the puck, they’ll make you pay.
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