Emil Bemstrom steps up for Columbus Blue Jackets at key time in career

It’s been only five years, but it feels much longer since Emil Bemstrom was a Blue Jackets rookie with a reputation from the Swedish Hockey League as a goal-scoring phenom.

A lot has happened in that time.

The world and NHL were paused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blue Jackets haven’t qualified for the postseason since 2020, when Bemstrom’s rookie season was halted and re-started four months later by the pandemic. The Jackets’ roster is almost completely different thanks to massive turnover that included former franchise pillars dealt away.

Three head coaches have departed, including John Tortorella by mutual agreement, Brad Larsen via termination and Mike Babcock with a forced resignation stemming from player complaints about privacy violations related to their phones.

What has remained the same is Bemstrom’s failure to live up to the hype. The booming one-timer and knack for scoring in Sweden have only flashed sporadically in four NHL seasons, but Bemstrom hasn’t stopped trying to become the player the Blue Jackets hoped they were getting back in 2019. 

He arrived for training camp this season motivated to keep his NHL roster spot and has earned a more prominent role in the Blue Jackets’ regular lineup. Bemstrom has three goals, all on power plays, in six games and two were scored in the Jackets’ 4-3 overtime loss Thursday in Montreal. 

“I feel pretty confident out there,” he said afterward. “I think I’ve been doing it this whole season so far, so I don’t know what the recipe is, but it just feels good right now and I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing. … It feels pretty good.”

Bemstrom’s importance to the Blue Jackets’ power play has taken a big leap in importance the past two games without injured star Patrik Laine’s one-timer available. He’s a right-handed shot, like Laine, and the slap shot he’s capable of launching can be just as dangerous from the same spot in the left faceoff circle. 

Bemstrom’s first goal against the Canadiens was scored with a scorching one-timer from above the left circle, sending the puck past a screen by 6-foot-5, 240-pound rookie Dmitri Voronkov. His second goal was scored from much closer after getting a great pass outside the left post from Jack Roslovic.

“I’m trying to shoot everything on that left circle and it’s been going in lately,” Bemstrom said. “I’ve just got to keep doing it.”

If he can, that could significantly improve the Blue Jackets’ odds of rebounding with a significant climb from last season’s last place finish in the Metropolitan Division.

Laine, Johnny Gaudreau, Zach Werenski and other stars haven’t even hit their first hot streak yet, for various reasons, so adding high-end contributions from players like Bemstrom, Roslovic and other unheralded Blue Jackets could be the NHL’s version of found gold. 

It’s just contingent on them playing this way consistently, which has been Bemstrom’s biggest NHL challenge since arriving.