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Being named to the NHL All-Star Game is one of the highest honors a hockey player can achieve, but it appears Kraken forward Oliver Bjorkstrand was slightly underwhelmed by a selection that forced him to call off a vacation he’d already planned.
Bjorkstrand has been a member of the Seattle Kraken since he was sent to the team in a trade that brought a five-year stint with the Blue Jackets to an end in 2022, and the winger is firmly on pace to surpass the 45 points he posted over the course of the previous season.
As of this writing, the native of Denmark has posted 29 points (the second-most on the Kraken behind Vince Dunn) while recording 11 goals and a team-high 18 assists. The 28-year-old had never punched his ticket to the NHL All-Star Game prior to this season, but that officially changed earlier this week.
On Thursday, the league unveiled the initial list of the 32 players who will be representing each one of its teams when the annual showcase is held in Toronto on February 3rd (fans will get the chance to vote for an additional 12 to join them over the course of the next week).
The NHL gave franchises the chance to let players know they’d been picked before the selections were announced to the public, and the Kraken released a video of head coach Dave Hakstol breaking the news to Bjorkstrand.
While I’m a bit hesitant to read too much into his response, the reaction was fairly subdued, which may have had something to do with the fact that he was planning to escape the dreary confines of Seattle for a trip to sunny San Diego only to learn he’ll be spending the All-Star break in Toronto at the start of February.
Put those vacation plans on hold, you're going to the Bjorkin' All-Star game! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/MI38Ti9axa
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) January 5, 2024
On the bright side, Bjorkstrand will get a $10,000 bonus for making the All-Star Team, so at least he’ll be able to use it to pay for another vacation of his choice once the season wraps up.