Andreas Bjorkman

Andreas Bjorkman (born December 19, 1993) is a Swedish born, German national goalie who currently plays for the Vasteras Iron Eagles of the Victory Hockey League. Bjorkman was selected 1st overall in the Season 21 VHL Entry Draft, becoming the first goalie to be chosen first since S18 when his idol, Daisuke Kanou was drafted by Davos. Bjorkman is known as one of the smaller goalies in the VHL today, standing at only 5'10" and weighing 182 pounds. Due to his lack of size, he has been forced to revolv his game around his agility and speed in net as opposed to using his large frame to block portions of the net.

Early Life
Andreas grew up in a wealthy suburb of Stockholm where he played street hockey and soccer with his childhood friends. At eight, he moved to Berlin to attend school and there, he fell in love with the sport of hockey. He played all three positions (forward, defense and goalie) before deciding that goalie was the correct position for him. He played for a few German national teams, including playing for the German U20 team at just 16 years old. He was drafted by the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, than picked up on priority by the Saksatoon Wild of the Victory Hockey League Minor system. After spending a quarter of a season with the Wild, Bjorkman was the first played drafted in the VHLM Entry Draft in S20 and played the entire season with the Brampton Battalion where he and the Battalion lost in the finals to the Bern Royals.

Heading Into the Draft
As the draft neared, most people were certain that Bjorkman would be drafted first overall. The two teams with the best shot at winning the lottery and getting first were the New York Americans and the Madrid Thunder, both of whom badly needed a steady, active goaltender to back up their team. On March the 11th, 2011, the Madrid Thunder gained a stroke of luck as they won the lottery despite odds being relativley against them winning. They made no mistake and less than a week later, drafted Bjorkman first overall; making him the Thunder starting goalie.

First VHL Season
Before he could even play a game in the Thunder jersey, the team was relocated to Vasteras, Sweden and were renamed the Iron Eagles.