Garin Bjorklund and his family celebrate after he was selected in the sixth round by the Washington Capitals in the 2020 NHL Draft. Photo Credit: (Garin Bjorklund/@garinbjorklund_)

By Shane Clausing

Local Hockey

Grande Prairie’s Garin Bjorklund excited about being drafted by the Washington Capitals

Oct 9, 2020 | 5:00 AM

It’s been a fun few days for Grande Prairie native Garin Bjorklund.

The 18-year-old goaltender, who plays his junior hockey with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL, found out on Wednesday that the Washington Capitals selected him with 179^th pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

“It’s definitely a surreal moment,” said Bjorklund when asked about being drafted by the Capitals. “Watching the draft for a few hours there, there’s definitely been some nerves, and at the end of the day, I’m super excited to be a part of the organization and I’m excited for the future.”

Bjorklund tells EverythingGP that he watched Wednesday’s draft in its entirety and his family was there watching the whole thing with him, as the picks went one by one.

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“I was pretty gifted with my family there, supporting me by my side, so they were there to help celebrate and be with me when my name was called.”

Bjorklund found out he was being selected by the Capitals after his agent gave him a call just before the selection was put up on the draft board. Bjorklund says that shortly after his agent reached out, Caps Goaltending Coach, Scott Murray and Director of Player Personnel, Chris Patrick also reached out to congratulate him on the selection.

Bjorklund said that he expects more calls from Capitals management in the next couple of days once things have settled down for the team from free agency.

Once the phone calls were complete, Bjorklund was able to celebrate with his family. He says his family was pretty fired up once his name was called.

“Once my name was called my uncle was pretty excited, so he went over to Ernie’s and got some of the Caps swag. So that was pretty special of him to do that for my family to take a picture. It was pretty sweet for him to buy some jerseys and hats so he could take the picture than before they send stuff.”

During the draft interviews over the last several months, Bjorklund said it was hard to say if the Caps had a keen interest in him. He told EverythingGP that he probably talked to over 20 teams over Zoom over the course of the last several months.

He says it was a unique experience this year because of everything being virtual.

“Usually throughout the year you would talk to teams after games and you’d talk to them in person, so that was a little bit easier and you’d have a chance to talk to them at the combine.”

“Without the combine this year, everything was through Zoom or phone call, so it was definitely a different experience, but I’m just happy with the Capitals. I’m happy they liked what they saw and I’m happy to be a part of the red, blue and white. I’m truly excited.”

On Thursday, Bjorklund became the third player who played for Grande Prairie Minor Hockey selected in the NHL Draft.

Kaiden Guhle, a former teammate of Bjorklund in Novice hockey was also selected in the draft. Guhle was taken in the first round, 16^th overall by the Montreal Canadiens.

He also spent time in minor hockey playing with Ethan Edwards, who was taken in the fourth round by the New Jersey Devils.

“Before I was a goalie actually, me and Kaiden used to be D(efense) partners in Novice.

“And then me and Eddie (Ethan Edwards) are still really good friends to this day. I still consider him one of my best friends and I’m just so happy for those two. It’s so special for them and their families to be a part of the NHL.”

With the draft now complete, Bjorklund can focus on his next season with the Tigers. He says for the last four years, he has been splitting time between Grande Prairie and Calgary. Bjorklund played for the Calgary Bisons and Buffaloes from 2016-2019.

He says that while in Grande Prairie, he’s been skating with the Storm. He also added that he goes to Calgary a couple of times a month to skate with a conditioning coach.

With the WHL hoping to start its season in December, Bjorklund says that for his offseason goals, he wants to be calmer and more collected in the net, as he’s an athletic and quick goaltender. He added that as a goalie, you can always work on everything in your game.