Penguins A to Z: Kasper Bjorkqvist finally gets some much-needed playing time
While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Kasper Bjorkqvist
Position: Right winger
Shoots: Left
Age: 22
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 198 pounds
2019-20 AHL statistics: Six games, one point (one goal, zero assists).
2020-21 Liiga statistics: 18 games, 10 points (six goals, four assists).
Contract: Second year of a two-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $792,500. Pending restricted free agent in 2021.
Acquired: Second-round draft pick (No. 61 overall), June 25, 2016.
Last season: It’s not hyperbole to label the 2019-20 campaign as a nearly complete loss for Bjorkqvist.
There were high hopes for Bjorkqvist, one of the franchise’s top prospects, as he made his professional debut with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. But a knee injury and subsequent surgery in November 2019 ended his season before it really started.
While Bjorkqvist, a native of Finland, had grown acclimated to North American hockey over the previous three seasons playing at the NCAA level with Providence, any hopes he would adapt to the professional game on this continent went unfulfilled last season.
This season: While most leagues in North America are on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic, leagues in Europe opened play this fall for the 2020-21 campaign, including the Liiga, Finland’s top-tier league.
As a result, the Penguins made it a priority to loan Bjorkqvist to KooKoo this past August in order to get him some much-needed playing time.
Bouncing between the first and second lines, Bjorkqvist played his first games in nearly 12 months and raced out to a fast start to the season with eight points (four goals, four assists) in his first eight games.
His output has dropped off with only two points (one goal, one assist) in his most recent 10 games before the Liiga halted play Dec. 3 because of coronavirus concerns.
That league is scheduled to resume games Dec. 19
The future: Given how the Penguins have dealt away so many top prospects and high draft picks over the years for the sake of “winning now,” Bjorkqvist is one of the organization’s top future assets by default.
So the fact he has been productive, at times, this season is a fantastic development for the organization’s limited pool of prospects.
Should the AHL resume play Feb. 5, as scheduled, Bjorkqvist likely will return to North America and try to ply whatever development he has enjoyed as a member of KooKoo with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Capable of playing either wing, Bjorkqvist will be a candidate to inhabit a top-nine role with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as he plays for a new contract.
Ultimately, Penguins management views Bjorkqvist as an ideal third-liner who can play a physical game, mix it up with the opposition, provide some occasional offense and kill penalties.
He still is a long way from realizing his ample potential at the NHL level, but after a lost season in 2019-20, Bjorkqvist has taken a few steps in the right direction in 2020-21.
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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