Columbus Blue Jackets 2017 4th round pick is impressing in Sweden.
Emil Bemstrom will be busy this summer bouncing from camp to camp across continents. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect has been invited to Team Sweden’s World Junior Championship summer camp ahead of the end of year tournament.
Bemstrom played for Sweden in the under-18 World Junior Championship in 2017 for the Swedes. He had two points in seven games. But Bemstrom has blossomed as a player since then and the Jackets are very high on him.
Emil is a quick, shifty player with a noise for scoring. He spent most of last season with Leksands IF in the Allsvenskan. The second tier league in Sweden is a great proving grounds for players like Bemstrom.
His 15 points in 33 games were impressive enough to earn him not only a camp spot for the WJC team, but he also earned a contract with Djurgårdens IF. Bemstrom signed a two year contract with the Swedish club that has a rich tradition that includes many Columbus Blue Jackets players and prospects. Alexander Wennberg spent time with Djurgardens during his time in Sweden.
Newley signed 2017 draft pick Jonathan Davidsson has spent his entire junior and professional career with the same club. Davidsson is expected to compete for a spot on the NHL roster this season after a great year with Djurgardens.
Related Story: Draft Profile: Jonathan Davidsson
World Junior Championship Odds for Bemstrom
The 1999 and 2000 years in Sweden don’t appear to be as strong as previous years have been. Especially at the forward position. This should open the door wide open for a player like Emil Bemstrom to earn a spot and head to British Columbia.
Next: 2018 CBJ Development Camp
It would guarantee the Blue Jackets have a prospect in back-to-back World Junior Championships. Last year both Vitali Abramov and Andrew Peeke competed in Buffalo for Russia and the United States respectively.