Penguins goaltending prospect Joel Blomqvist signs tryout with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Penguins goaltending prospect Joel Blomqvist has signed an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the remainder of this season.
The 20-year-old recently completed the 2021-22 season in the Liiga, the top-tier league in his native Finland. In 20 games with Karpat, Blomqvist had a 6-3-5 record, a 1.32 goals against average, a .940 save percentage and five shutouts.
Serving as Karpat’s starter in the postseason, Blomqvist appeared in seven games and had a 3-3-0 record, a 1.10 goals against average and a .950 save percentage.
Blomqvist was a second-round pick (No. 52 overall) in the 2020 draft. The Penguins acquired that pick as part of a trade that sent former starting goaltender Matt Murray to the Ottawa Senators in October of 2020.
Unofficially one of the Penguins’ 10-best prospects, the left-catching Blomqvist has yet to sign an NHL contract.
Additionally, the Penguins assigned defenseman Niclas Almari to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Also a native of Finland, Almari was previously assigned to Luukko of the Liiga in February after beginning the 2021-22 season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
In 21 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, D’Orio, 22, has a 7-9-5 record, a 2.91 goals against average, an .894 save percentage and one shutout. The right-catching D’Orio has also appeared in 11 games with Wheeling and has a 5-4-0 record at the ECHL level along with a 4.02 goals against average and an .865 save percentage.
The 23-year-old Almari was a fifth-round pick (No. 151 overall) in 2016 and is in the third year of a three-year entry-level contract.
Almari has appeared in 11 games this season for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and scored two points (one goal, one assists). He also spent some time with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, playing in six games and recording four assists.
With Lukko, the left-handed Almari played in 15 games and tallied two assists.
Friday evening, goaltender Alex D’Orio was promoted from Wheeling to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
D’Orio, 22, has appeared in 21 AHL games this season and has a 7-9-5 record, a 2.91 goals against average, an .894 save percentage and one shutout. Additionally, the right-catching D’Orio has played in 11 ECHL contests with Wheeling and has a 5-4-0 record, a 4.02 goals against average and an .865 save percentage.
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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