CRANBERRY, Pa. — Joel Blomqvist said he is confident he’ll be able to battle for a job against Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmiththe current goalie tandem for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Just not right away.
“It’s a pretty hard question, but I do think I’m able to compete with them,” Blomqvist said. “Maybe not really yet, but with some more experience and improving some areas in my game, I could definitely compete with them.”
It could be a while until Blomqvist truly gets that chance. Jarry, a two-time NHL All-Star, will enter his third season as Pittsburgh’s No. 1 goalie. DeSmith is the backup after agreeing to a two-year, $3.6 million contract ($1.8 million average annual value) on July 5.
That’s not to mention Pittsburgh’s other goalie prospects, including Filip Lindberg and Taylor Gauthier, but there’s something unique about Blomqvist, a 20-year-old from Uusikaarlepyy, Finland.
“He’s just a special guy. If you’ve seen what he’s done in Finland, it’s been incredible,” Penguins goalie development coach Kain Tisi said. “He progressed as he developed last year. His skillset as a goalie, his movement, I think we value that very much. He has a calm demeanor. Nothing really rattles him.
“A great human being. An amazing kid, or young man, I should say. He’s just got a phenomenal skillset and talent. We’re extremely excited for him.”
It might take some time to really tap into how valuable Blomqvist (6-foot-2, 183 pounds) could become. He was 6-3-5 with a 1.32 goals-against average, .940 save percentage and five shutouts in 20 games last season for Karpat of Liiga, the top professional hockey league in Finland. He was better in seven playoff games with a 1.10 GAA and .950 save percentage, and that earned a look with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League late last season. In one start, he allowed two goals on 27 shots in a loss.
“It was awesome,” Blomqvist said. “After my season in Karpat, I was in [Wilkes-Barre] for two weeks. I got the chance to see the place, get to know the coaches and the players. It was fun. I got to play a game. It was a really nice experience.
“Of course, there are some areas that need improvement. I feel like I have to improve, but I’m really happy for myself.”
Blomqvist could return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to start this season. The basis of that decision would have been made during Pittsburgh’s prospect development camp held at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex from July 10-14.
“I think, organizationally, we’ll evaluate what’s best for him,” Tisi said. “I think he’s got a great spot in Finland. I’ve been there to see his setup in Karpat. A lot of success that he’s had there. We’ll reevaluate after the development camp here and go from there.”
That short taste of North American hockey did Blomqvist quite a bit of good, he said. More could expedite the process.
“The things I noticed compared to Finnish and European play, it’s obviously a smaller rink here,” Blomqvist said. “That leads to faster play here, a faster pace, so it was a good experience to see that in person and then know what areas of my game can improve.”
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