The Penguins went into this NHL Draft without a pick in the second round, having traded that pick to the Golden Knights in 2017 to ensure the Golden Knights selected Marc-Andre Fleury in the draft.
Just before Day 2 of the draft kicked off, the Penguins got a second-round pick back when they traded Fleury's successor in net, Matt Murray, to the Senators.
When the Penguins made their first selection of the draft with that pick at No. 52 overall, they selected a goaltender: Joel Blomqvist out of Karpat in the Finnish junior league.
Blomqvist, 18, is 6-foot-1 and 183 pounds and catches left-handed. He spoke about his game recently in an interview with FinnishJuniorHockey.com
"I would describe myself as a calm and mobile goalie," he said. "I try to be as calm as possible in net, yet also quick when the situation demands it. I consider skating technique and play reading my strengths."
Penguins amateur scouting director Patrik Allvin echoed similar sentiments.
"Blomqvist, I'd compare him to Tristan Jarry at this point," Allvin said. "Really calm, a play-reader. Really athletic. He needs to get stronger, as most of the young kids."
He also noted that he would like to improve his positioning and stance.
Blomqvist spent the majority of the 2019-20 season with Karpat's U20 team in the Finnish junior league, where he posted a .931 save percentage and led his team to the regular-season title. He won 26 of his 34 games and won the award for the league's top goaltender. He played two games with Karpat in the top Finnish men's league, and recorded a 4.73 save percentage and an .808 save percentage.
With the 2020-21 Liiga season already underway, Blomqvist has appeared in two games with Karpat in the top men's league, posting a 1.50 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.
Blomqvist has represented Finland on the international stage, most recently in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the U-18 World Championships and U-18 5 Nations tournament. This save came in 5 Nations in February:
Joel Blomqvist (#2020NHLDraft) makes a good save here moving laterally and tracking the pass. He eats the rebound and temporarily stops the attack.
— Tony Ferrari (@theTonyFerrari) February 7, 2020
Blomqvist has been very good today for the Finns. #U18 #5Nations pic.twitter.com/UlD5eMdAvs
This glove save was from the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last year, and was against Cole Perfetti, who went No. 10 overall to the Jets this year:
Joel Blomqvist just did something very few goalies do effectively: rob Cole Perfetti. Great glove save. #HlinkaGretzkyCup pic.twitter.com/impURZTMVh
— Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisTHN) August 5, 2019
The addition of Blomqvist brought the Penguins' total number of goalie prospects in the system to three, joining undrafted prospects Alex D'Orio and Emil Larmi. The Penguins brought that number to four after they selected another goalie, Calle Clang, in the third round. I asked Allvin if it was a case where the two goalies happened to be the best players available at the time, or if they went into the draft with the goal of restocking their goaltending prospect pool.
"A little bit of both," he said. "I think they are both intriguing players. It ended up turning out that both were available there, Blomqvist in the second round and Clang in the (third). We talked about it, and both guys are very intriguing moving forward. It turned out great that way."
The Penguins shared this video of Teddy Blueger welcoming Blomqvist to the organization, since both players were No. 52 overall picks:
Welcome to the 'selected at #52 squad', Joel Blomqvist! pic.twitter.com/dhZYx19JX1
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 7, 2020
SCOUTS SAY
Central Scouting ranked Blomqvist as the No. 3 European goaltender available in this draft. Draft ranking site Dobber Prospects projected that Blomqvist would go No. 50 overall, and McKeen's Hockey projected that Blomqvist would be selected No. 56.
Goran Stubb, NHL Central Scouting: "Well-trained goalie that's solid and reliable. Technically sound and mobile with quick reflexes."
Elite Prospects: "Blomqvist plays a quiet, composed game that looks smart and confident. He recovers from his rebounds well, doesn't overshoot his destinations often, and seems to have a solid grasp on how to read and anticipate plays. His tracking looks smooth like he's following along with the play rather than trying to catch up."
Dobber Prospects: "A young, developing goalie with good size and technical skills, very good hockey sense, and a great track record of stopping pucks at the junior level. Upside to become a starting goalie at the NHL level."
The Hockey Writers: "Blomqvist is great at tracking pucks through traffic and has a great glove hand. He has good rebound control and rarely is he caught out of position. He plays his angles well and uses his lower-body strength to skillfully maneuver through his crease. He may not be the most confident goalie when it comes to handling the puck, but he is more than capable at making a play under duress when needed."
Some of my thoughts on Joel Blomqvist (52nd overall, PIT). Been lucky enough to get extensive chances to watch him and talk to some people over in Finland who have been there throughout his development. Think he could follow the Justus Annunen trajectory; very smart pick by PIT. pic.twitter.com/HRZHqxHHLX
— Catherine Silverman (@catmsilverman) October 7, 2020