The Pittsburgh Penguins return to action this afternoon as they kick off the Prospects Challenge against the Boston Bruins at 3:30 p.m. Several high-profile Penguins prospects will be on the ice, but the most important could be between the pipes this afternoon.
Joel Blomqvist, the Penguins 2nd round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, is the organization's top goaltending prospect and is looking to kick off his first season in North America on the right foot.
Blomqvist has spent the past two seasons rising the ranks of the Finnish league, playing 41 games for Karpat of the SM-Liiga, the country's top professional league. Blomqvist had a .921 save percentage and a 1.61 goals-against average.
The 21-year-old netminder missed time last season with multiple concussions, which prevented him from playing the entire season as Karpat's starting netminder. He will join a full goaltending room in Wilkes-Barre Scranton (WBS) this season with Taylor Gauthier, Magnus Hellberg, and potentially Garrett Sparks.
WBS head coach J.D. Forrest discussed the challenges ahead for Blomqvist in his first season with the AHL club. "I think a lot of the differences here with the traffic and bigger bodies, shot volume, and just stuff happening around the net is something that he's gonna get used to."
Forrest also highlighted Blomqvist's improved ability to play the puck as an area to watch for the young goaltender.
Blomqvist begins the next chapter of his development this weekend at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo. The Penguins play later today against the Bruins and then on Saturday and Monday against the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres.
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