Penguins goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist making seamless transition in 1st North American hockey campaign

Logic dictates that for a 22-year-old — let alone one who is a professional athlete — who moves across the globe to a new country, the changes would be staggering.

That’s the reality Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender prospect Joel Blomqvist has been living with since joining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League from his native Finland ahead of the 2023-24 season.

And yet, Blomqvist, playing in his first season of North American hockey after parts of four years with Karpat in the top Finnish league, casually brushed off the life adjustments he has had to make in service to his career.

“I wouldn’t say it’s that big of a difference,” he said. “I was used to living on my own from when I played in Liiga, but, yeah, you have to get yourself a car and an apartment here. There’s small things, for sure.”

Blomqvist, whom the Penguins selected in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft, is in Year 1 of a three-year entry-level contract worth $886,667 annually.

Beginning the year as one of the club’s highest-regarded prospects, with the season he has been having, Blomqvist has seen his stock rise quickly.

There have been few signs of Blomqvist struggling to adjust from European to North American hockey, particularly noting the significant difference in rink sizes (the NHL’s rinks are 200 feet long by 85 feet wide, and those utilized by Liiga are 197 by 98.5).

This season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, as the Baby Penguins’ starting goalie, the 6-foot-2, 183-pound Blomqvist has gone 20-10-6 with a 2.16 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.

“I think me and the goalie coaches here have worked a lot on what it takes to play in a smaller rink here,” he said. “I think we’ve done a good job. We’ve watched a lot of video from games and try to all the time to take small steps to make the game better for me.”

Across the AHL, Blomqvist’s goals-against average ranks third, and his 20 wins are tied for seventh among qualified goalies.

He also recently recorded his first shutout, making 23 saves on as many shots March 13 against Lehigh Valley.

In the eyes of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach J.D. Forrest, Blomqvist’s composure has been key to such a successful transition.

“For a younger guy coming over here from Europe, his first season has been amazingly consistent,” Forrest said. “I think that just goes along with his demeanor. One of the things he has gotten a lot better at with us is handling pucks, coming out playing pucks, even if it’s just stopping a rim or making a simple play to the team. He’s taken a lot of steps in that department, along with his steady, strong goaltending that he’s had from the start.”

In November, Blomqvist got a quick taste of the NHL when the Penguins were without both Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic for a brief time because of injuries.

Blomqvist, playing backup for a game to his friend and mentor, the now-departed Magnus Hellberg, who was traded to the Florida Panthers before the deadline earlier this month, did not see any game action.

Last summer, the Penguins signaled their commitment to Jarry as their goaltender of the future by signing him to a five-year, $26.875 million deal.

That said, things certainly can be subject to change.

At a bare minimum, with Nedeljkovic set to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of his current one-year contract, a window for Blomqvist to get his first real opportunity with the Penguins could be opening.

Regardless of when and if that day comes, Blomqvist’s strong North American debut has inspired confidence within the Penguins organization as to his potential moving forward.

“He’s mentally strong beyond his years,” Forrest said. “I feel like his demeanor — he’s relaxed out there, but he’s an explosive goaltender, the way he moves in the net from side to side and comes and attacks pucks — it’s pretty remarkable to see especially on a nightly basis.”