PensBurgh’s 2026 edition of the Top 25 Under 25 countdown rolls on with a look at goaltender Joel Blomqvist.
Catch up on the previous entries for this year:
Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025
Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest
#25: Chase Pietila, D
#24: Ryan Miller, F
#23: Finn Harding, D
#22: Peyton Kettles, D
#21: Zam Plante, F
#21 (bonus): Brady Peddle, D
#20: Melvin Fernstrom, F
#19: Tanner Howe, F
#18: Tomas Galvas, D
#17: Pierce Mbuyi, F
#16: Jake Livanavage, D
#15: Owen Pickering, D
#14: Tristan Broz, F
#13: Avery Hayes, F
#12: Ville Koivunen, F
#11: Hendrix Lapierre, F
#10: Markus Ruck, F
#9: Mikhail Ilyin, F
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#8: Joel Blomqvist
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Acquired Via: 2020 NHL draft; second round, 52nd overall
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Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 200 pounds
Joel Blomqvist’s career statistics (dating back to 2020-21). | EliteProspects
The 2025-26 season didn’t exactly start with a bang for the 2020 draft pick. On Sept. 26, 2025, the Penguins announced that Blomqvist had suffered a lower-body injury during a preseason game and would miss several weeks.
Sidelined until mid-November, he was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Nov. 15 and served as a platoon partner to prized prospect Sergei Murashov as the Baby Penguins marched to a 46-17-7 regular-season record and the Eastern Conference Finals of the Calder Cup playoffs.
Blomqvist compiled a 16-5-6 record over 26 games with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. His goals-against average was the sixth-lowest rate in the AHL last season, while his save percentage was the seventh-best.
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For reference, Murashov finished with a 24-9-4 AHL record, a 2.20 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.
Blomqvist did not feature in the NHL during the 2025-26 season except for a lone recall as an emergency backup for a Pittsburgh playoff game against the Flyers on April 29. He was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the next day.
Instead, it was Murashov who was called up for five NHL games in early November after Tristan Jarry was placed on injured reserve.
Despite Murashov’s emergence, Blomqvist still possesses a skill set that has made him a highly regarded goaltending prospect. He has been described as a calm, technically sound goaltender known for his anticipation and positioning. His primary strengths lie in his quiet demeanor and efficient tracking, while his physical posture remains a potential weakness at the highest level.
The Finn’s immediate future with the organization was addressed last month, when he signed a two-year contract with an average annual value of $875,000.
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However, as Hooks dissected the contract structure in the days following the deal, he noted that the two-way contract carries a $300,000 downside guaranteed salary, worth up to $850,000 if he spends the full 2026-27 season in the NHL.
The second year of the deal is more intriguing. The second year switches the contract to a one-way deal that pays Blomqvist a $900,000 salary, regardless of whether he plays in the NHL or the AHL.
All told, Blomqvist is slotted as the organization’s third-string goalie and the WB/S starter heading into this season, with Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov primed to see the bulk of NHL action.
MONTREAL, CANADA – SEPTEMBER 22: Goaltender Joel Blomqvist #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins reaches for the puck during the second period against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on September 22, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Still, another season in the AHL doesn’t mean Blomqvist has fallen out of Pittsburgh’s plans. He was a relatively high draft pick, named an AHL All-Star during the 2023-24 season, and showed some promise when recalled to Pittsburgh during the 2024-25 campaign, posting a 4-9-1 record over 15 games with a 3.81 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage.
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All NHL organizations need goalie depth in this day and age. With the league expanding to an 84-game regular season, that depth may be tested in ways it has not been before, making Blomqvist’s presence that much more important heading into 2026-27. He remains one of the organization’s most accomplished young players and its most experienced goaltending prospect.
However, the path to Pittsburgh’s crease is considerably less clear than it appeared a year or two ago. Murashov’s play suggests the Penguins may now view him as the goaltending prospect with the higher ceiling.
Blomqvist needs to establish himself as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s clear No. 1 and make the most of whatever NHL opportunity comes his way, whether that is this season or next.
