Penguins Pleased With How Blomqvist Is Progressing

Organizational goalie depth is absolutely critical in professional hockey, as the Penguins learned firsthand during the First Round with injuries to their top-two netminders Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith.
So to have a prospect like Joel Blomqvist in the pipeline is very exciting for the organization, as Pittsburgh's second-round draft pick in 2020 is brimming with potential.

"His skillset as a goalie and his movement is, I think, elite," goaltending development coach Kain Tisi said of the 6-foot-2, 183-pound netminder. "We value that very much. He's got a calm demeanor; nothing really rattles him. If you've ever had the chance to talk to him, amazing young man; great human being. He's just got a phenomenal skillset and talent, and we're extremely excited for him."
They've been really pleased about how Blomqvist, 20, has been progressing over the past two years since first joining the Penguins organization. When his virtual draft took place in October, the 2020-21 season was already underway. He ended up splitting it between Karpat of Liiga, Finland's highest professional league, and Hermes of Mestis, the second-highest, where he spent some time on loan.
This past season, the plan was for Blomqvist to transition into one of Karpat's two goalies and remain there full-time. He started the year in more of a backup role, "but as the season went on, I got a chance to show myself. And with that, until the end of the season, I got to play more and got the chance to be the starter," Blomqvist said.

After competing in 20 total games, where he posted a league-best .940 save percentage, a 1.32 goals-against average and five shutouts, Blomqvist came over to Pennsylvania. He spent two weeks with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, making his first and only appearance on April 23.
"I got the chance to see the plays, get to know the coaches and players," Blomqvist said. "It was awesome. I got to play a game, and it was really nice experience."
He made 25 saves on 27 shots in a 3-1 loss to Springfield in his North American professional debut, and WBS head coach J.D. Forrest was impressed with how he performed against a tough team like the Thunderbirds.
"He took a lot of high-quality shots, and really kind of kept us in the game that night," Forrest said. "He was big, smart, he reads the play well. Felt good with him in the net. He also made some really good decisions with the puck on his stick, which is something that we value and helps our D out a lot. In that short sample size, we were really excited. So we're looking forward to having him with us some more."
This week's development camp marks Blomqvist's first time on this side of the state. He's been waiting a long time to finally get to Pittsburgh, but once here, Blomqvist had to wait even longer to actually take the ice - as his equipment didn't make it here from Finland at the same time as he did.
So Blomqvist had to watch Day 1 from the sidelines, but fortunately, the gear arrived in time for him to participate in a full capacity these past couple of days.
"It was really tough to be next to the rink and watch them practice because you of course want to be out there," he said. "I didn't have the chance to get here after the draft because of COVID. It's awesome here. I really like the facilities. It's really nice experience to be here."
Blomqvist feels that his time in Wilkes and now his time in Pittsburgh are incredibly beneficial to his growth and development, saying there are so many resources available for him to improve as a player and that he is going to try and ask every coach here for tips. Once the week is over, the Penguins will figure out Blomqvist's next step.
"I think organizationally, we're evaluating what's best for him," Tisi said. "I think he's in a great spot in Finland. I've been there to see his setup in Karpat, he's had a lot of success there. We'll re-evaluate after the development camp here, and go from there.