During Joel Blomqvist’s first stint in the NHL earlier this season, one of his finest performances came in a 4-2 win on Nov. 8 in Washington.
His second stint in the NHL began in the same building, with the rookie goaltender getting the nod for the second half of Pittsburgh’s back-to-back on Saturday night.
"I felt pretty good,” Blomqvist said. “Obviously it's some time since my last NHL game, but I felt pretty good out there."
Blomqvist faced 33 shots in the game, a 4-1 loss that was much closer than the score indicated for much of the night. Washington’s power play got one with just over two minutes left before rounding out the scoring with an empty netter.
“He was awesome, kept us in it there,” Bryan Rust said. “Made some big saves at some key times. Obviously, he's a really good goalie, so I'm sure he's going to keep on building on that.”
The 22-year-old was recalled earlier in the week after Tristan Jarry was placed on waivers, with Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas saying Blomqvist deserved the opportunity.
“We think over the past year and a half, with his play in Wilkes-Barre and when he's been up here with us, he's earned the right to have a go at it and we get a chance to see what he can do in a prolonged look,” Dubas said.
In 12 games this season with WBS, Blomqvist went 6-4-2 with a 2.93 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage and one shutout.
“We have a good team down there, so it’s been feeling really good to play there. Just trying to improve every day,” he said.
That being said, the NHL is what Blomqvist is working toward, and while he isn’t one to wear his emotions on his sleeve – as being poised and calm is a foundation of his game – he’s certainly feeling good about returning to Pittsburgh.
“I’m really happy to be back with the team,” Blomqvist said. “Gonna do my best up here. Just take it one day at a time... I'll try to make the most out of it. I'm happy for this opportunity.”
Blomqvist had a terrific first season in North America, as the 2024 AHL All-Star went 25-12-6 with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. For his efforts, Blomqvist was also named to the 2024 AHL All-Rookie Team. The Penguins were pleased with how his game evolved throughout the course of the year.
Pittsburgh’s 2020 second-round pick went into training camp with the mindset of pushing for a spot despite his position on the depth chart. And when Alex Nedeljkovic got injured during the preseason, Blomqvist got his chance – and shined.
He won his debut on Oct. 11 in Detroit, Pittsburgh’s second game of the season, with Blomqvist’s teammates raving about his potential. In addition to his performance against Washington, Blomqvist was also named the Third Star in a 4-0 loss to Edmonton after facing 50 shots.
“I gained a lot of experience. I just feel more prepared right now,” Blomqvist said.
Sullivan said what stands out about the 6-foot-3 goaltender is his athleticism and competitiveness.
“He competes hard on pucks... his lateral mobility, his lateral agility, his ability to get post to post is exciting,” Sullivan said. “He’s a good goaltender. He's played extremely well in Wilkes. We thought he played well for us at the beginning of the year when he was here. But that would be probably the biggest thing that jumped out.”
Dubas covered what Blomqvist brings from the psychological side.
“I think we've all seen it up here a little bit, when he has a bad stretch or bad game, he is able to put a stop to it and get it moving the other way,” Dubas said. “It's going to be different here than the American League, but we'll give him that chance."
