CRANBERRY, Pa. – Sergei Murashov is the apple of everybody’s eye in Cranberry, Pennsylvania these days. His record-setting rookie campaign with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season drew plenty of deserved attention, his display of explosive traits at Pittsburgh Penguins training camp further built the hype, and then several stellar stops in his preseason debut sent the Penguins twittersphere into a frenzy.
Meanwhile, Joel Blomqvist is quietly starring in his own spinoff of a John Hughes film, imploring fans Don’t You (Forget About Me).
Blomqvist was also strong in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener, denying all 11 shots he faced in 30 minutes of work. It’s merely exhibition action, but it was a comforting start for a young goalie who experienced a series of highs and lows last season.
In case you forgot, Blomqvist seized a roster spot in Pittsburgh at the start of 2024-25 thanks in small part to a training camp injury to Alex Nedeljkovic. He then made his NHL debut on Oct. 10, 2024, a game that ended with a 32-save victory over the Detroit Red Wings. He went 3-5-0 in his first eight NHL contests with a .904 save percentage and 3.60 goals against average, then was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton upon Nedeljkovic’s return to health.
Blomqvist gradually rounded back into his All-Rookie form with the AHL Penguins, culminating in a spectacular 39-save win on his 23rd birthday. That earned him another call-up to Pittsburgh, but this time, he went 1-4-1 with an .854 save percentage and 4.04 goals against average. An injury kept him out of action from March until the penultimate week of the regular season, then another injury forced him out of Game 1 of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
If you think such an unceremonious conclusion to his second season in North America would dampen his confidence, think again.
“I’m very happy with my game right now,” he said the day after his preseason start. “I’m ready to go.”
The native of Uusikaarlepyy, Finland didn’t drastically alter his offseason training after last season. Blomqvist holds firm in his belief that he showed he has what it takes to perform at the NHL level last season, but it will require “more consistency” to get to the next level.
And in terms of his confidence, he doesn’t worry at all about his rocky finish to the year. He’s learned to not tie game-by-game results to his self-worth.
“(Confidence) if something you earn from each day. If you feel like you are prepared, you will be confident,” a mantra similar to that of his crease comrade Murashov.
Another in case you forgot: this is still the same goalie who had Penguins fans all starry-eyed after his AHL All-Rookie Team and Second Team All-Star selections in 2023-24. Blomqvist’s 25 wins as a rookie rank second in Penguins history, trailing only Hockey Hall of Fame-bound legend Marc-André Fleury (whose path will coincidentally cross with Blomqvist this weekend).
Murashov’s rapid ascent should not result in a quick dismissal of Blomqvist’s potential. The Finn is still 23-years-old, far from the prime years of a goalie, especially one of Blomqvist’s elastic athleticism. The early stages of this training camp provide a friendly reminder, even if he doesn’t end the game on a freeze-frame with his fist in the air.
“The main goal is to play in the NHL,” Blomqvist said. “I just want to bring my best every single day. I think if I do that, the rest will take care of itself.”
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