Feb 27, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Joel Blomqvist (30) makes a glove save against Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier (14) during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Penguins Goalie Prospects Getting Overlooked

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Nick Horwat | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Penguins have long had one of the lowest ranked prospect pools in the entire NHL. Years of playoff and Stanley Cup contention drained the pipeline dry, but the Penguins have entered a new phase as an organization.

With Kyle Dubas at the helm and three straight years without a playoff appearance, the Penguins have started revamping their pool of prospects. While the Penguins pipeline is still not among the league’s most notable, their goalie group is arguably one of the most underrated in the entire NHL.

Top-tier goalie prospects are hard to come by, and the Penguins have two of them. 23-year-old Joel Blomqvist and 21-year-old Sergei Murashov have a chance to be Pittsburgh’s goalie battery for a long time and they’re only just getting started.

Blomqvist and Murashov might not be two of the top goalie prospects in the NHL, but they are certainly better than what they are getting credit for. Daily Faceoff recently released their top 25 NHL-affiliated goalie prospects, and neither Penguins prospect was mentioned.

Daily Faceoff looked to many newcomers and prospects with NHL experience over either name ready to take the Penguins by storm.

Blomqvist grabbed 15 games worth of NHL experience in 2024-25, picking up a 4-9-1 record. Not a perfect start to his NHL career, but he had an objectively better season than Minnesota Wild netminder Jesper Wallstedt.

The Wild’s 22-year-old goalkeeper went 0-2 at the NHL level, and 9-14-5 in the American Hockey League (AHL). Blomqvist went 8-7-3 in the AHL with a .914 save percentage.

Wallstedt was listed at 12th on the list, while Blomqvist didn’t even get an honorable mention.

Blomqvist may not have had a particularly memorable rookie run with the Penguins, but he still has a ton of potential. In 2023-24 with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, with a 25-12-6 record, he was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team.

Murashov did at least land in the “other notables” category, but that’s still well below where he deserves to be.

No matter where Murashov played during the 2024-25 season, he couldn’t be beat. With the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers, Murashove posted a 17-7-1 record with a .922 save percentage. After getting the call to the AHL with the WBS Penguins, Murashove didn’t miss a beat.

At the AHL level, Murashov picked up a 12-3-0 record with a .913 save percentage. Among those wins was a perfect 10-win start, he captured a franchise record for most wins by a rookie goaltender.

Therer are some great goalie prospects around the NHL, and the names like Yaroslav Askarov and Jacob Fowler rightfully top Daily Faceoff’s list. Leaving not just one, but both of Blomqvist and Murashov off the list is a huge misstep.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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