Patrick Bjorkstrand

{{short description|Danish professional ice hockey forward|bot=PearBOT 5}}

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| name = Patrick Bjorkstrand

| image = 2012-12-29 Patrick Bjorkstrand 01.jpg

| image_size = 235

| caption = Bjorkstrand with Mora IK in 2012

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1992|7|1|df=y}}

| birth_place = Herning, Denmark

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 0

| weight_lb = 192

| position = Forward

| shoots = Left

| league = Metal

| team = Aalborg Pirates

| prospect_league =

| prospect_team =

| former_teams = Herning Blue Fox
Medveščak Zagreb
SaiPa
Ontario Reign
KooKoo
Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers
TPS
EC VSV

| ntl_team = Denmark

| career_start = 2009

| draft = Undrafted

}}

Patrick Bjorkstrand (born 1 July 1992) is a Danish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for Aalborg Pirates of the Metal Ligaen (DEN). He formerly played with the Ontario Reign of the AHL while under contract to the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He is the son of hockey coach Todd Bjorkstrand and the older brother of Oliver Bjorkstrand.

Playing career

Bjorkstrand made his first steps at the senior level in his native Denmark with Herning Blue Fox of the Metal Ligaen. He won the Danish national championship with Herning in 2011 and 2012. He spent the 2012–13 campaign with Mora IK of the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan. From 2013 to 2016, Bjorkstrand played for Medveščak Zagreb of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL),{{cite web|url=http://khlmedvescakzg.tumblr.com/post/53744188561/mladi-napadaci-patrick-bjorkstrand-i-luke-walker-dolaze|title=Young forwards Patrick Bjorkstrand and Luke Walker join the Bears|publisher=Medveščak Zagreb|date=2013-06-24|accessdate=2013-06-24|language=Croatian}} interrupted by a Finland stint with SaiPa in the course of the 2014–15 season.{{Cite web|url=http://www.medvescak.com/khl/bjorkstrand-zavrsava-sezonu-u-finskoj-saipi-no1654|title=Bjorkstrand završava sezonu u finskoj SaiPi|website=www.medvescak.com|access-date=2016-07-14|archive-date=2015-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216031852/http://www.medvescak.com/khl/bjorkstrand-zavrsava-sezonu-u-finskoj-saipi-no1654|url-status=dead}}

On 14 July 2016 he signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and spent the season with the Kings' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Ontario Reign.{{Cite web|url=http://lakingsinsider.com/2016/07/13/kings-sign-patrick-bjorkstrand-to-one-year-elc/|title=Kings sign Patrick Bjorkstrand to one-year ELC|website=LA Kings Insider|date=14 July 2016 |access-date=2016-07-14}} After the season Bjorkstrand returned to Finland and signed with KooKoo of Liiga on 3 August 2017.{{cite web|title=KooKoo vahvistuu Tanskan maajoukkuehyökkääjällä - Bjorkstrand matkaa Kouvolaan|url=http://www.jatkoaika.com/Uutiset/kookoo-vahvistuu-tanskan-maajoukkuehy%C3%B6kk%C3%A4%C3%A4j%C3%A4ll%C3%A4-bjorkstrand-matkaa-kouvolaan/193190|website=www.jatkoaika.com|accessdate=August 29, 2017|language=fi-FI|date=August 3, 2017}} He left Finland in February 2018 to head to Germany, where he signed with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL.{{Cite web|url=http://www.icetigers.de/content/ice-tigers-verpflichten-patrick-bjorkstrand|title=Ice Tigers verpflichten Patrick Bjorkstrand {{!}} Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Nürnberg|website=www.icetigers.de|language=de|access-date=2018-02-21}}

In the off-season, Bjorkstrand returned for a third stint in the Finnish Liiga, agreeing as a free agent to a one-year contract with HC TPS on 5 June 2018.{{cite web| url = http://hc.tps.fi/uutiset/ajankohtaista/hc-tps-vahvistuu-patrick-bjorkstrandilla-halusin-joukkueeseen-jossa-pelataan-voitosta-jokaisena-iltana/ | title = HC TPS strengthens with Patrick Bjorkstrand | website = HC TPS | date = 2018-06-05 | accessdate =2018-06-05 | language = Finnish}} He contributed with his two-way play, recording 10 goals and 20 points in 59 games in the 2018–19 season.

On 5 June 2019 Bjorkstrand left the Liiga as a free agent, signing an initial one-year contract with Austrian club, EC Panaceo VSV, of the EBEL.{{cite web| url =https://www.ecvsv.at/ec-panaceo-vsv-landet-transfercoup/ | title = EC Panaceo VSV land transfer coup | website = EC VSV | date = June 5, 2019 | accessdate = June 5, 2019 | language = Russian}}