For the first time in three months, Penguins goaltending prospect Joel Blomqvist was back between the pipes.
Blomqvist, the Penguins' 2020 second-round pick, had been sidelined since Dec. 16 with his second concussion of the season, having suffered his first in October. Both were a result of players colliding with him in the crease.
After a long rehab process that had him off the ice for some time, Blomqvist returned to his team Karpat's lineup in the top Finnish league on Monday. There was no better time for Karpat to get its No. 1 goaltender back, either -- Monday was Game 1 of the first round series against KooKoo in the Liiga playoffs.
Karpat's coach said afterward that the hope was to give Blomqvist a little more time, but Karpat's backup Leevi Meriläinen, who had taken over as starter in Blomqvist's absence, wasn't able to dress for Game 1.
Blomqvist helped carry his team to a 4-2 win, stopping 24 of 26 shots faced for a .923 save percentage.
It'll be a quick turnaround after the win for Karpat, who plays Game 2 on Tuesday evening.
This is the second postseason as a starter for the 21-year-old Blomqvist. Though he spent last season as a backup, he supplanted Karpat's then-starter Stanislav Galimov in the playoffs to earn the No. 1 role.
The veteran Galimov was the starter for Game 1 of the playoffs last season, but was pulled after allowing three goals on seven shots in the first 7:28 of the game. Blomqvist entered the game in relief, and stopped 18 of 19 shots to finish the game, a loss for Karpat. For Game 2, Karpat turned to Blomqvist as the starter. Blomqvist made 20 saves on 22 shots, but Karpat again only scored one goal in a 2-1 overtime loss. Blomqvist earned his first Liiga playoff win in Game 3, making 16 saves on 17 shots in a 2-1 overtime win.
Karpat went back to Galimov for Game 4. Galimov allowed two goals on four shots in the first 12 minutes of the game, and was once again pulled. Blomqvist was perfect in relief, stopping all 17 shots faced, as Karpat won 3-2 in overtime to tie the series. Karpat again returned to Blomqvist as the starter for Game 5, and he put forth a solid effort, stopping 24 of 25 shots. Karpat was shut out, however, and fell behind in the series, 3-2.
"It's nice to have that experience," Blomqvist told me over the summer of that playoff run. "It just shows that I'm able to play in the important and high-level games. It was a really nice experience."
When I spoke with Blomqvist before the season, he wasn't yet sure when he'd make the move to North America and play in the Penguins' system. He wanted to focus on having a strong year as a starter in the top Finnish league first. Blomqvist had a pretty good first year as a starter, putting up a 2.28 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and one shutout in 21 games before his regular season was cut short.
I'd expect Blomqvist to stay in Finland for another season after this year. He still didn't get that full year as a starter that he wanted because of his concussions, and there's no rush to get him over here when Wilkes-Barre still has two young goaltending prospects in Taylor Gauthier and Filip Lindberg.
Blomqvist's exclusive signing rights with the Penguins expire after the 2023-24 season in June. They'll have to sign him before then if they want to keep his rights. Blomqvist joining Wilkes-Barre for the 2024-25 season seems like a reasonable expectation for his trajectory at this point.
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.Here's how the Penguins' other NHL-contracted players in the minors or draft picks elsewhere did over the last two weeks:
FORWARDS
Corey Andonovski
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-1/194
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 50 games, 8 goals, 9 assists, 60 PIM
Andonovski was scoreless in the six games he played over the last two weeks.
Raivis Ansons
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-1/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, fifth round
Age: 20
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 43 games, 2 goal, 3 assists, 27 PIM
Ansons had one goal and two assists in his six games over the last two weeks. His goal was a shorthanded tally in the AHL Outdoor Classic:
Both of Ansons' goals so far in his career were shorthanded.
Tristan Broz
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-0/178
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, second round
Age: 20
Team: Denver (NCAA)
Season totals: 38 games, 10 goals, 18 assists, 33 PIM
Broz had two assists in four games over the last two weeks.
Drake Caggiula
Position: Center/wing
Size: 5-10/176
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 28
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 52 games, 14 goals, 26 assists, 41 PIM
Caggiula had two goals and an assist in five games in the last two weeks. Both goal were power play goals in the same game:
Judd Caulfield
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-4/212
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, fifth round
Age: 21
Team: North Dakota (NCAA)
Season totals: 38 games, 9 goals, 9 assists, 12 PIM
Caulfield had two assists in his last five games.
Luke Devlin
Position: Center
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, sixth round
Age: 18
Team: West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)
Season totals: 47 games, 10 goals, 22 assists, 23 PIM
Devlin scored a goal and two assists in his last four games.
Jordan Frasca
Position: Center/left wing
Size: 6-2/183
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 3 games, 14 PIM (AHL), 31 games, 3 goals 4 assists, 6 PIM (ECHL)
Frasca scored a goal and two assists in six games with Wheeling in the last two weeks:
Ty Glover
Position: Center/ left wing
Size: 6-3/201
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 35 games, 4 goals, 2 assists, 9 PIM
Glover scored two goals in three games. Both goals came in the same game, and the first came on a penalty shot:
Jonathan Gruden
Position: Center/left wing
Size: 6-0/172
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Acquired via trade
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 40 games, 12 goals, 6 assists, 36 PIM (AHL), 3 games (NHL)
Gruden returned after a three-week absence with an upper-body injury. He was scoreless in his one game since returning.
Filip Hallander
Position: Center/left wing
Size: 6-3/201
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2018, second round
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 38 games, 9 goals, 21 assists, 18 PIM (AHL), 2 games (NHL)
Hallander played two games last week and was injured when he was hit in the face. He didn't play this week.
Nathan Legare
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-0/205
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2019, third round
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 55 games, 6 goals, 9 assists, 52 PIM
Legare played in six games in the last two weeks, recording two assists.
Zam Plante
Position: Center
Size: 5-9/161
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, fifth round
Age: 18
Team: Chicago Steel, Fargo Force (USHL)
Season totals: 33 games, 8 goals, 15 assists, 2 PIM (USHL Chicago), 4 games, 2 goals, 2 assists (USHL Fargo)
Plante was traded within the USHL to the Fargo Force at the trade deadline. He scored two goals and two assists in his four games since the trade. Both goals came in the first period of his debut with Fargo:
Sam Poulin
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-2/214
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2019, first round
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 13 games, 4 goals, 6 PIM (AHL), 3 games, 1 assist, 2 PIM (NHL)
Poulin remains away from the team on personal leave after leaving on Dec. 7.
He wrote this message on Instagram back in January: "Not being OK is more than OK. Opening yourself up about what's going on might be one of the hardest things to do, but ultimately, one of the best things you can do for yourself. Let’s normalize this stigma & spread more love to the people around us, because there's more people than we think who struggle mentally every single day. If you are struggling, know you are not alone."
Valtteri Puustinen
Position: Wing
Size: 5-9/183
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 58 games, 21 goals, 26 assists, 22 PIM
Puustinen has two assists in his last six games.
Lukas Svejkovsky
Position: Wing
Size: 5-9/170
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2020, fourth round
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 42 games, 3 goals, 9 assists, 6 PIM
Svejkovsky had one goal and one assist in his last six games. His goal was this redirect on a power play:
Kirill Tankov
Position: Center
Size: 6-1/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 20
Team: SKA-Neva (VHL)
Season totals: 1 game
Tankov suffered a season-ending neck injury in the opening game of the season and required surgery to repair a fractured vertebrae. He is expected to be able to play next season and has resumed skating.
Chase Yoder
Position: Center
Size: 5-10/176
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, sixth round
Age: 20
Team: Providence (NCAA)
Season totals: 36 games, 8 goals, 7 assists, 14 PIM
Yoder had one goal in four games:
DEFENSEMEN
Santeri Airola
Size: 5-11, 163
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Age: 22
Team: Ilves/SaiPa (Liiga), KOOVEE (Mestis)
Season totals: 5 games, 2 PIM (Ilves Liiga), 10 games, 7 assists (SaiPa Liiga) 29 games, 8 goals, 14 assists, 22 PIM (Mestis)
The Liiga season came to an end. Airola's team SaiPa didn't make the playoffs.
Isaac Belliveau
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Age: 19
Team: Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Season totals: 49 games, 10 goals, 32 assists, 48 PIM
Belliveau had two assists in five games on Gatineau's second defense pairing.
Nolan Collins
Size: 6-3/194
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2022, sixth round
Age: 18
Team: Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
Season totals: 57 games, 6 goals, 19 assists, 48 PIM
Collins had four assists in his last six games.
Peter DiLiberatore
Size: 6-0/185
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Acquired via trade
Age: 22
Team: Savannah Ghost Pirates (ECHL), Hendeson Silver Knights, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 18 games, 3 assists (ECHL), 22 games, 3 assists (AHL Henderson), 3 games, 1 goal (AHL WIlkes-Barre)
DiLiberatore joined Wilkes-Barre after being acquired in the Teddy Blueger trade. He scored in his debut, the AHL Outdoor Classic:
Taylor Fedun
Size: 6-1/201
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 34
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 51 games, 3 goal, 5 assists, 18 PIM
Fedun scored two goals and an assist in his last six games.
Mark Friedman
Size: 5-11/185
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Waiver claim
Age: 27
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 24 games, 1 goal, 5 assists (AHL), 11 games, 1 goal (NHL)
Friedman has one assist in his five games since being re-assigned from Pittsburgh.
Daniel Laatsch
Size: 6-5/183
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 21
Team: Wisconsin (NCAA)
Season totals: 36 games, 1 goal, 6 assists, 6 PIM
Laatsch was scoreless in two games.
Josh Maniscalco
Size: 6-2/205
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 17 games, 1 assist, 7 PIM (AHL), 31 games, 8 goals, 20 assists, 42 PIM (ECHL)
Maniscalco was scoreless in two games for Wilkes-Barre and was otherwise a healthy scratch.
Ryan McCleary
Size: 6-2/180
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 19
Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season totals: 60 games, 12 goals, 17 assists, 43 PIM
McCleary had a goal and two assists in his last six games:
Xavier Ouellet
Size: 6-0/196
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 29
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 29 games, 2 goals, 15 assists, 21 PIM
Ouellet suffered an ankle injury on Dec. 31. He underwent successful surgery last week and is done for the rest of the year. He's still signed to a two-way NHL contract through next season.
Owen Pickering
Size: 6-4/180
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, first round
Age: 19
Team: Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
Season totals: 55 games, 9 goals, 32 assists, 20 PIM
Pickering had one goal and six assists in his last six games. He had back-to-back three-point performances.
Ty Smith
Size: 5-11/179
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Acquired via trade
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 30 games, 4 goals, 11 assists, 10 PIM (AHL), 9 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 PIM (NHL)
Smith remains week-to-week with a facial fracture after being hit by a puck on Feb. 18.
Jack St. Ivany
Size: 6-3/201
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 50 games, 6 assists, 24 PIM
St. Ivany had one assist in his last six games
Colin Swoyer
Size: 6-0/185
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 24
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 26 games, 1 goal, 7 assists, 5 PIM (AHL), 6 games, 1 assist, 4 PIM (ECHL)
Swoyer has one assist in two games with Wilkes-Barre
GOALTENDERS
Joel Blomqvist
Size: 6-2/183
Catches: Left
Drafted: 2020, second round
Age: 21
Team: Karpat (Liiga)
Season totals: 21 games, 2.29 GAA, .907 SV% (regular season), 1 game, 2.00 GAA, .923 SV% (playoffs)
Blomqvist returned from his concussion and stopped 24 of 26 shots faced in Game 1 of the playoffs.
Taylor Gauthier
Size: 6-2/207
Catches: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 16 games, 2.57 GAA, .913 SV% (AHL), 16 games, 3.09 GAA, .896 SV%, 1 shutout (ECHL)
Gauthier started two games for Wilkes-Barre in the last two weeks. He stopped 29 of 33 shots in a win then 25 of 28 shots in a loss.
Filip Lindberg
Size: 6-1/194
Catches: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 19 games, 3.13 GAA, .896 SV%
Lindberg has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since Feb. 11. He's considered day-to-day.
Sergei Murashov
Size: 6-0/167
Catches: Right
Drafted: 2022, fourth round
Age: 18
Team: Loko Yaroslavl (MHL), Lokomotiv (KHL)
Season totals: 42 games, 1.53 GAA, .948 SV%, 11 shutouts (MHL regular season), 1 game, 1.00 GAA, .947 SV% (KHL), 2 games, 2.34 GAA, .921 SV% (MHL playoffs)
Murashov's regular season is over. He's played two playoff games so far in the Russian junior league, making 37 saves on 40 shots in a loss then 21 saves on 23 shots in a win.
Dustin Tokarski
Size: 6-0/198
Catches: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 33
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 27 games, 2.44 GAA, .917 SV%, 1 shutout (AHL), 4 games, 3.44 GAA, ,897 SV% (NHL)
Tokarski played in four games in the last two weeks, going 0-3-1.
