PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Wednesday, a handful of hours before they face the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 of a first-round playoff series at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The team did not announce the transaction but it was reflected on the AHL’s website.
Blomqvist is expected to simply serve as the Penguins’ emergency backup goaltender should the need arise in Game 6. Fellow goaltending prospects Taylor Gauthier and Sergei Murashov have served in the same capacity in games earlier in this series, largely watching games from the press box.
A second-round draft pick (No. 52 overall) in 2020, the 24-year-old Blomqvist has spent parts of the past four seasons in the Penguins’ organization.
This past regular season season, he has largely platooned with Murashov with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In 26 games, the left-catching Blomqvist has a 16-5-4 record, a 2.40 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage and one shutout.
Blomqvist’s only NHL experience came last season. In 15 games, he had a 4-9-1 record, a 3.81 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage.