Viktor Jensen - Biography

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Viktor Jensen (Center - Houston Bulls)

Biography

 

Early Life

Growing up in central Lillehammer, Norway, Viktor Jensen was born to a pair of decorated Norweigan athletes.  His father was a long-time member of the SEL and played over 400 games over the course of his career.  Jensen’s mother was a cross-country skier and actually represented Norway in two different Olympic games.  Therefore, it should be no surprise to see Viktor excel so much when he hit the ice surface.

 

At a young age, Viktor was taught how to skate on his backyard rink that is father had installed years prior when he was still playing.  With his dad coaching him and some of his friends occasionally coming over to play some pickup and share some tidbits of wisdom, it was pretty clear as he grew up that Viktor was on another level compared to a lot of the talent at his age.  It wasn’t until he got to High School, that he was starting to get some attention from North America.

 

Junior Hockey (QMJHL)

At the age of sixteen, Viktor Jensen would move away from his family to Quebec, in order to qualify for the QMJHL Draft.  Jensen’s father had played a spell in Quebec during his career, and had some friends who lived in the area, so the transition was not as hard as perhaps expected from someone in this situation.  He would end up being drafted by the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the mid rounds but would immediately make the team and have a decent impact for the squad on their third line.

 

Over the course of his three-year career in Sherbrooke, Jensen would play 191 games and record 58 goals and 123 assists for 181 points.  His third and final year would ultimately end up being his best, centering a line that included talented NHL prospect Joshua Roy, Jensen would end up tallying 23 goals and 68 assists for a career-high 91 points.

 

VHLM Career

After Sherbrooke was eliminated from the playoffs, Viktor Jensen immediately declared for the VHLM in order to hopefully sign with someone for the remainder of the season and potentially some playoff time as well.  After talking to a few teams, Jensen ultimately decided to sign with Mississauga and joined a pretty competitive team that was considered a bit of a darkhorse heading into the postseason.  He would record 3 points in 16 games before going pointless in a five game loss in the first round of the VHLM Playoffs.  It wasn’t necessarily the storybook beginning he was expecting in the VHLM, but playing incredibly limited minutes with new teammates was never going to be an easy transition for a prospect.

 

Despite some struggles, Jensen showed a fair bit in his 21 games with the Hounds, and given his pedigree in the QMJHL, the Houston Bulls decided to make him their second overall pick in the Season 88 VHLM Dispersal Draft.  The Bulls added several players and were expecting to be a team on the rise with a young nucleus and some solid veterans like Krishna leading the way on and off the ice. 

 

Jensen has recorded an impressive 30 goals and 59 points in 54 games with Houston.  He has been a shooting machine with nearly 300 shots directed towards the opposing net but has been just as impressive defensively as he has played in every situation for the Bulls this season.  Houston currently finds themselves third in the Western Conference, but has been on the rise lately with Jensen being one of the main contributors so far.

 

What Scouts Have to Say

Time will tell if Jensen can take what he has learned in the VHLM and become an even better player at both the VHLE and the VHL, but he certainly has shown a lot of talent along the way, and many scouts are pegging him to be one of the top picks in the upcoming Season 89 VHL and VHLE Drafts.  Lets take a look and see what some scouts have to say about Jensen’s time in the VHLM and what they expect to see from him down the road:

 

“I’ve watched Viktor play since he was in Norway, and he has never not impressed me.  He brings a lot of offensive ability to the table and always has.  For me though, it has always been his defensive acumen and his willingness to grow that part of his game, which has always impressed me.  If it all comes together, I definitely think he can be an elite player in the best league in the world.”

 

“I’m a bit skeptical if I think he has an elite offensive potential, but I do think he could become a solid two-way center that could find his way anywhere from the first to second line.  I think his offensive skills probably will top out around 50 points or so, but he has the ability to be a decent faceoff guy and is pretty skilled at getting his stick in the passing lanes.”