Kasper Björkqvist

Kasper Björkqvist
Born (1997-07-10) 10 July 1997 (age 27)
Espoo, Finland
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb)
Position Winger
Shoots Left
Liiga team
Former teams		 Kärpät
KooKoo
Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL draft 61st overall, 2016
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career 2019–present

Kasper Björkqvist (born 10 July 1997) is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing for the Oulun Kärpät in the Liiga. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round, 61st overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

Playing career

Björkqvist played as a youth with hometown club, the Espoo Blues, and after collecting MVP honors as a prolific scorer in the Nuorten SM-liiga he was selected in the second-round, 61st overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Moving to North America, Björkqvist continued his development by committing to a collegiate career with Providence College of the Hockey East. He was signed to a two-year, entry-level contract with the Penguins following his junior season with the Friars on 15 May 2019.[2]

In his first professional season in 2019–20, Björkqvist was assigned by Pittsburgh to AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, appearing in just 6 games before sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury.

In the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, Björkqvist opted to remain in Finland to continue his development in joining Liiga club, KooKoo, on loan from the Penguins on 24 August 2020.[3] He enjoyed a productive stint in the Liiga, leading all rookies in league scoring with 26 points through 44 regular season games to earn rookie of the year honors. He returned to the AHL following KooKoo playoff defeat, posting 1 goal through 5 regular season games.

As a restricted free agent with the Penguins, Björkqvist was re-signed to a one-year, two-way contract on 25 July 2021.[4] In the following 2021–22 season, having started the campaign in the AHL, Björkqvist was recalled by Pittsburgh and made his NHL debut, scoring his first NHL goal, in a 8-5 victory over the San Jose Sharks on 2 January 2022.[5]

As an impending restricted free agent with the Penguins, Björkqvist opted to return to his homeland, agreeing to a two-year contract with Kärpät of the Liiga on 28 June 2022.[6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2013–14 Espoo Blues Jr. A 17 3 4 7 8 — — — — —
2014–15 Espoo Blues Jr. A 34 19 11 30 82 8 0 2 2 2
2015–16 Espoo Blues Jr. A 45 28 38 66 32 2 1 1 2 2
2016–17 Providence College HE 30 3 6 9 8 — — — — —
2017–18 Providence College HE 40 16 7 23 16 — — — — —
2018–19 Providence College HE 42 17 13 30 20 — — — — —
2019–20 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 6 1 0 1 2 — — — — —
2020–21 KooKoo Liiga 44 11 15 26 36 2 0 0 0 0
2020–21 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 5 1 0 1 7 — — — — —
2021–22 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 54 8 4 12 28 6 0 1 1 2
2021–22 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 6 1 0 1 2 — — — — —
Liiga totals 44 11 15 26 36 2 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 6 1 0 1 2 — — — — —
Medal record
Representing  Finland
Ice hockey
World Junior Championship
Gold medal – first place 2016 Finland
IIHF World U18 Championship
Silver medal – second place 2015 Switzerland

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Finland IH18 5th 4 2 0 2 2
2015 Finland U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 0 0 0 0
2016 Finland WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 1 1 2 2
2017 Finland WJC 9th 6 1 1 2 4
Junior totals 24 4 2 6 8

Awards and honors

Award Year
Jr. A
Saku Koivu Award (Best Forward) 2016
Teemu Selanne Award (MVP) 2016
First All-Star Team 2016
Liiga
Rookie of the Year 2021

References

  1. ^ "Kasper Björkqvist". Elite Prospects.
  2. ^ "Penguins sign Kasper Bjorkqvist to entry-level contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Kasper Bjorkqvist joins KooKoo for season" (in Finnish). KooKoo. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Penguins re-sign forward Kasper Bjorkqvist to a one-year contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Kasper takes his chance on NHL debut". NewJerseyDailyPress.com. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Kasper Bjorkqvist to Karpat on a two-year contract" (in Finnish). Oulun Kärpät. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.


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