Penguins Prospect Watch: Emil Larmi debuts for HPK
While the NHL and many leagues in North America are in the the midst of their offseasons because of the coronavirus pandemic, several leagues in Europe and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League have already opened play for the 2020-21 season.
Fifteen of the Penguins’ prospects or minor leaguers are currently playing, primarily in Europe. Here is a weekly look at their progress:
• Goaltender Emil Larmi made his season debut for HPK in the Liiga of his native Finland. During a 4-1 road win against HIFK on Thursday, Larmi made 29 saves on 30 shots.
He followed that up Saturday by making 17 saves on 20 shots (and even recorded an assist) in a 4-3 shootout loss at home to SaiPa.
The undrafted Larmi, 24, is entering the second year of a two-year entry-level contract with the Penguins.
• Also with HPK, forward Valtteri Puustinen recorded an assist in Thursday’s win against HIFK. Puustinen, 21, was a seventh-round pick (No. 203 overall) in 2019 who has yet to sign with the Penguins.
• Forward Nathan Legare returned to action as Baie-Comeau Drakkar was permitted to resume play after some portions of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) halted operations because of coronavirus concerns. After being held scoreless during a 2-1 home shootout win against Rimouski Oceanic on Friday, Legare surged with three assists on Saturday in a 4-3 home victory against Rimouski. Legare, 19, was a third-round selection (No. 74 overall) in 2019.
• Elsewhere in the QMJHL, forward Sam Poulin and the Sherbrooke Phoenix are scheduled to resume playing on Wednesday. They have been idle since Oct. 4 because of the pandemic. Poulin, 19, was the Penguins’ first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in 2019.
• In Russia’s Kontinenal Hockey League (KHL), forward Pontus Aberg had a goal and an assist for Traktor Chelyabinsk during a 4-1 road win against Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod on Wednesday.
He followed that up with a goal and an assist in a 5-1 road victory against Dinamo Riga on Friday. Aberg, 27, is an unsigned restricted free agent whose NHL rights were acquired by the Penguins in an August trade.
• Defenseman Cam Lee made his debut for HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovakian Extraliga on Sunday in a 3-0 home win a HC Mikron Nove Zamky. Primarily working on HC Slovan Bratislava’s second defensive pair, Lee was held without a point while logging one shot as well as 17:24 of ice time. Undrafted, Lee is entering the first year of a two-year entry-level contract with the Penguins.
• In Sweden’s HockeyAllsvensken league, defenseman Jesper Lindgren recorded an assist for MODO in a 2-1 road loss to Vasterviks IK on Friday. He followed that up with another assist in a 4-3 overtime home loss to BIK Karlskoga on Sunday. Acquired in an August trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Lindgren, 23, is entering the final year of a three-year entry-level contract.
• Also in the HockeyAllsvensken, goaltender Calle Clang made 24 saves on 25 shots for Kristianstads IK in a 2-0 home loss to AIK on Friday. Clang, 18, was a third-round pick (No. 77 overall) in this year’s draft. He has yet to sign with the Penguins.
• In Finland’s Metsis league, goaltender Joel Blomqvist made 26 saves on 30 shots for Hermes in a 4-1 road loss to Hokki. Blomqvist, 18, was a second-round pick (No. 52 overall) in this year’s draft and has yet to sign with the Penguins.
• Defenseman Santeri Airola (Ilves - Liiga) remains sidelined due to an undisclosed preseason injury and will likely remain off the ice until mid-November at the earliest. Airola, 20, was a seventh-round selection (No. 211 overall) in 2019 who has yet to sign with the team.
• The Czech Republic has allowed the resumption of professional sports after being on hiatus for more than a month due to coronavirus concerns. Forward Radim Zohorna and BK Mlada Boleslav of that country’s Extraliga ledniho hokeje (ELH) have not played a game since Sept. 27. That team announced via Twitter it is scheduled to resume practicing on Tuesday. The Penguins signed the undrafted Zohorna to a one-year entry-level contract in April.
Statistics
Forwards and defensemen
Goaltenders
*-Current team
(All figures are through Sunday.)
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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