Penguins Prospect Watch: Kasper Bjorkqvist snaps goalless streak before Liiga shutdown
While the NHL and many leagues in North America are in the the midst of their offseasons because of the coronavirus pandemic, several leagues in Europe and a handful in North America have already opened play for the 2020-21 season.
Twenty of the Penguins’ prospects or minor leaguers are currently playing, primarily in Europe. Here is a weekly look at their progress:
• Play was halted in Finland’s top two leagues because of coronavirus concerns. The top-tier Liiga went into hiatus on Dec. 3 and is scheduled to resume Dec. 19. The Penguins currently have five prospects on the rosters of Liiga teams.
Defenseman Santeri Airola — Ilves
Defenseman Niclas Almari — Pelicans
Forward Kasper Bjorkqvist — KooKoo
Goaltender Emil Larmi — HPK
Forward Valtteri Puustinen — HPK
• In the Liiga’s final game before the shutdown, Bjorkqvist snapped a six-game goalless streak with a goal (off a steal) in KooKoo’s 6-1 road win against Assat on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old Bjorkqvist, a second-round pick (No. 61 overall) in 2016, is entering the second year of a two-year entry-level contract with the Penguins.
• The Mestis, Finland’s second-tier league, also halted play Dec. 1 and is scheduled to resume Jan. 1. Goaltender Joel Blomqvist and defensemen Antti Palojarvi currently play for Hermes of that league.
• Blomqvist (Finland) and goaltender Calle Clang (Sweden) were selected to the preliminary rosters for their respective countries’ entries in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship tournament. Final rosters will selected by Dec. 13.
Blomqvist (second round, No. 52 overall) and Clang (third round, No. 77 overall) each were selected in this year’s draft by the Penguins. Both players are 18 years old.
• In Sweden’s HockeyAllsvensken league, Clang made 30 saves on 31 shots for Kristianstad in a 2-1 shootout win at home against Bjorkloven on Friday.
• Elsewhere in the HockeyAllsvensken, MODO has suspended all team activities indefinitely after at least five unidentified players tested positive for the coronavirus. Penguins defensive prospect Jesper Lindgren, acquired from the Maple Leafs via trade in August, is currently on loan to MODO.
• On Nov. 30, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced it would halt play until Jan. 3 because of coronavirus concerns. Forwards Samuel Poulin, the Penguins’ first-round selection (No. 21) in 2019, and Nathan Legare, a third-round selection (No. 74 overall) that same year, play for the Sherbrooke Phoenix and Baie-Comeau Drakkar, respectively, of that league.
• Forward Radim Zohorna continues to be on a tear, scoring five goals in his past six games with BK Mlada Boleslav. In total, Zohorna has nine points over that span. His latest score came in a 4-3 road shootout win against HC Ocelari Trinec on Sunday.
• Forward Raivis Ansons scored his first goal of the season on a power play for Zemgale in a 4-1 road win against Dinaburga in the Latvian Hockey Higher League on Wednesday.
A fifth-round pick (No. 149 overall) in this year’s draft, Ansons has yet to sign with the Penguins.
• In the multi-country Alps Hockey League, forward Jan Drozg recorded two assists for HK Olimpija Ljubljana in a 3-2 road loss to HC Pustertal Wolfe on Saturday.
Drozg, 21, was the Penguins’ fifth-round pick (No. 152 overall) in 2017 and is entering the second year of a three-year entry-level contract.
• Defenseman Cam Lee recorded two assists for HC Slovan Bratislava in a 5-4 home win against HK Nitra in the Slovak Extraliga on Sunday. His second assist came off a deflected shot by forward Brandon Ranford.
The 23-year-old Lee was an undrafted free agent signing in March who is entering the first year of a two-year entry-level contract with the Penguins.
• Forward Drew O’Connor returned to play after his team, Manglerud Star in in Norway’s Eliteserien, was on hiatus for two weeks due to coronavirus concerns. On Thursday, O’Connor scored Manglerud’s lone goal in a 4-1 home loss to Stavanger. He followed that up on Saturday by recorded a goal and an assist in a 6-2 road loss to Valerenga Elite.
The 22-year-old O’Connor was an undrafted free agent signing in March and is entering the first year of a two-year entry-level contract with the Penguins.
• Two Penguins prospects made their season debuts at the NCAA level. Forward Judd Caulfield was held without a point for North Dakota in a 4-3 neutral site win against Denver on Friday.
The 19-year-old Caulfield was a fifth-round pick (No. 145 overall) of the Penguins in 2019 and is in his sophomore season at North Dakota. He has yet to sign with the team.
• Forward Chase Yoder made his debut for Providence on Friday in a 3-0 road loss to Boston College. Yoder was held without a point and recorded two shots.
Yoder, 18, was a sixth-round pick (No. 170 overall) of the Penguins this year and is a freshman at Providence. He has yet to sign with the Penguins.
• Elsewhere in the NCAA, defenseman Clayton Phillips recorded a power-play assist for Penn State in a 9-5 home win against Michigan on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Phillips was a third-round pick (No. 93 overall) in 2017 and has yet to sign with the team.
• In Russia’s KHL, forward Pontus Aberg had a power-play goal for Traktor Chelyabinsk in a 4-3 road win against Dinamo Riga on Thursday.
The 27-year-old Aberg is an unsigned restricted free agent whose rights the Penguins acquired from the Maple Leafs in an August trade.
Statistics
Forwards and defensemen
Goaltenders
*-Current team
(All figures are through Sunday.)
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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