‘It was a bit of a shock’: Emil Bemström looking forward after trade to Pittsburgh Penguins
This story appeared on hockeysverige.se this week and has been translated from Swedish to English.
Emil Bemström arrived in North America with lofty expectations in 2019.
After scoring a league-high 23 goals for Djurgården in the SHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets were hoping that Bemström could add to similar offense on the NHL level as well.
That breakthrough never materialized almost five years and over 200 NHL games later. Bemström, now 24 years old, had been both up and down between the NHL and AHL when the Blue Jackets ultimately pulled the trigger and sent him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a trade a few weeks ago. Countryman Alex Nylander went in the opposite direction.
Despite the circumstances, Bemström was a bit taken aback by the trade.
“Of course, it was a bit of a shock, but there had been some talk about a trade throughout the season,” Bemström said. “I still wasn’t ready for it to happen. I had been in Columbus for five years and it became a bit stale since I hadn’t been able to fully secure a spot on the team.
“It’s quite nice to get a fresh start here, start from scratch and get to see things from a completely different perspective,” Bemström added.
The Penguins might be one of the big letdowns in the NHL this season, especially after adding fellow Swede Erik Karlsson. But to Bemström, it’s been exciting to share a dressing room and ice with some of the biggest stars the sport has produced in this century.
“Above all, I was quite happy (with the trade),” Bemström said. “It’s a classic club that has won a lot in recent years. There are also many good leaders and it’s a professional club, all around. I’m super satisfied. It’s a very star-studded team, but then it’s not so star-studded further down the line-up. If I do well, there will be opportunities for me to succeed here.”
The right-shooting winger scored in his debut against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 25 but has only added one assist to that in his first six games with the Penguins.
“It’s nice to get it (the goal) over with pretty quickly. Otherwise, it’s easy to dwell on it”, he said. ”I feel that I’m growing into it more and more. The first game was the worst, the second better, and the third was my best game. It’s been moving in the right direction.”
Countrymen Karlsson, Marcus Pettersson and Rickard Rakell have been important pieces during the first few weeks in Pittsburgh, helping him get up to speed in his new city.
”I played at the World Championships with Marcus and knew Rakell a bit since before, but Erik, I had never met before,” Bemström said. ”Of course, it’s a comfort to have someone you can speak Swedish with. All three of them are also a bit older, which helps.”
What are your expectations for the rest of the season?
”There are all the possibilities to stay and have a future here. Right now, I’m just taking it one day at a time and trying not to think too much beyond playing the next game.”
Have you had a chance to figure out your living situation in Pittsburgh, considering you have a whole residence in Columbus?
”I haven’t thought much about that. I stayed at a hotel for the first two nights before we went on the road. It will probably be some type of apartment when I come back. I don’t think staying at a hotel all year would be ideal; it would feel off. There are still two months left, so it would be nice to get something on my own.”
You are under contract with Pittsburgh for the rest of the season, what are your thoughts moving forward?
”Much like I said before, I’m taking it one day at a time and then we’ll see how everything goes. Hopefully, there will be an extension here.”