Penguins Prospect Watch: Kasper Bjorkqvist returns to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton | TribLIVE.com
TribLive Logo
| Back | Text Size:
https://naviga.triblive.com/sports/penguins-prospect-watch-kasper-bjorkqvist-returns-to-wilkes-barre-scranton/

Penguins Prospect Watch: Kasper Bjorkqvist returns to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Seth Rorabaugh
| Monday, May 10, 2021 8:01 a.m.

A weekly look at how Penguins prospects and minor leaguers have fared over the past seven days:

• In the American Hockey League (AHL) forward Kasper Bjorkqvist rejoined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after being on loan to KooKoo of the Liiga, the top-tier league in his native Finland. Rejoining the Penguins’ lineup on Wednesday, he was held without a point during a 6-3 home win against the Binghamton Devils.

A second-round pick (No. 61 overall) in 2016, Bjorkqvist, 23, is in the second year of a two-year entry-level contract with the Penguins.

• On Saturday, forward Jonathan Gruden had an empty-net goal and an assist for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a 4-1 home win against Binghamton.

Acquired from the Ottawa Senators in an October trade, Gruden, 21, is in the first year of a three-year entry-level contract.

• On Sunday, forward Josh Currie had a goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a 6-2 road loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

A free agent signing this past offseason, Currie, 28, is signed to a one-year, two-way contract.

• In the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) postseason, forward Sam Poulin scored two goals and led the Val-d’Or Foreurs to a 6-2 home win against the Rimouski Oceanic on Friday in Game 1 of a quarterfinal series.

A first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in 2019, Poulin, 20, is signed to a three-year entry-level contract that has yet to begin.

• In Game 2 of the series, forward Nathan Legare scored the game-winning goal for Val-d’Or which defeated Rimouski, 3-0, on Saturday. Val-d’Or leads the best-of-seven series, 2-0.

A third-round pick (No. 74 overall) in 2019, Legare, 20, is signed to a three-year entry-level contract that has yet to begin.

• In the Western Hockey League (WHL), forward Lukas Svejkovsky missed the Medicine Hat Tigers’ season finale on Thursday, a 3-0 home loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings, due to an undisclosed injury.

A fourth-round pick (No. 108 overall) in 2020, Svejkovsky, 19, has yet to sign with the Penguins.

• On Thursday, the Penguins signed forward Valtteri Puustinen to a two-year entry-level contract that will begin in the 2021-22 season.

A seventh-round pick (No. 203 overall), the 21-year-old Puustinen spent the 2020-21 season with HPK of the Liiga in his native Finland. In 51 games, he had 41 points, including 21 goals, the eighth-best total in the league.

Statistics

(Players currently on the NHL roster and taxi squad are excluded.)

Forwards and defensemen

Goaltenders

*-Current team

(All figures are through Sunday.)

Follow the Penguins all season long.


Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)