WASHINGTON -- Kasper Bjorkqvist on Friday rejoined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after spending the year playing in the top Finnish league for the club KooKoo.
Bjorkqvist, 23, made his professional debut with Wilkes-Barre during the 2019-20 season but was limited to six games after a knee injury from a collision in practice required season-ending ACL surgery.
Bjorkqvist was assigned to KooKoo of the Finnish league after that league began on schedule and remained there even when the AHL season started. He finished with 11 goals and 15 assists in 44 games with KooKoo, leading all rookies in the league in scoring.
Bjorkqvist wasn't in the lineup for Wilkes-Barre's game on Friday against the Devils, but he's already fulfilled his quarantine requirements and is cleared to be around the team and practice, and took part in Friday's morning skate.
I asked head coach J.D. Forrest when Bjorkqvist might get in a game.
"He'll be practicing with us," he told me. "As far as his first game goes, we're kind of leaving that one up in the air. We're going to take that day-by-day, see how he feels. He had to quarantine, it's been awhile since he's been on the ice and all of the things that you have to deal with in the COVID era here of trying to get guys in. So once he's ready, we'll put him in there for sure."
Wilkes-Barre plays next on Saturday when they host Hershey, followed by another game against the Devils on Wednesday. There are six games remaining in the season, and the AHL isn't having playoffs this season.
