Joel Blomqvist
2019-20 Team: Karpat U20
Date of Birth: Jan. 10, 2002
Place of Birth: Uusikaarlepyy, Finland
Ht: 6-foot-1 Wt: 205 pounds
Catches: Left
Position: G
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2020 first-year eligible
Rankings
- NHL Central Scouting: 3rd (Amongst EU Goalies)
- Future Considerations: 59th
- The Hockey Writers (Fisher): 86th
- The Hockey Writers (Forbes): 63rd
- The Hockey Writers (Bell): 76th
Although he struggled in his brief appearance with Karpat of the Liiga this past season, Joel Blomqvist was lights out while playing for Karpat’s U20 team in the Jr. A SM-liiga. In 34 games played, he had 26 wins and a .931 save percentage while showing that he could handle the starting job with ease.
Although he is 18 years old, Blomqvist plays a game beyond his years. On several occasions this past season, he took the team on his back and guided them to much needed wins. He remains level-headed and does not get rattled easily.
Related: THW’s 2020 NHL Draft Guide
Standing at 6-foot-1, Blomqvist has good but not ideal height for an NHL goalie. Although he may be slightly undersized in some scouts’ eyes, he makes up for it with his incredible athleticism and raw potential.
Blomqvist is great at tracking pucks through traffic and has a great glove hand. He has good rebound control and rarely is he caught out of position. He plays his angles well and uses his lower-body strength to skillfully maneuver through his crease. He may not be the most confident goalie when it comes to handling the puck, but he is more than capable at making a play under duress when needed.
Like any other young goalie, it will take a while before Blomqvist develops into an NHL-calibre goalie. While it is very hard to predict how a goalie will develop, all signs point to Blomqvist making an NHL impact down the road.
Other THW Profiles
Joel Blomqvist – NHL Draft Projection
Blomqvist is going to be a great pick for whatever team picks him, there is no question about that. How high he goes will be dependent on when teams start drafting goalies. Usually when one team takes a goalie, many teams tend to follow suit. I project that Blomqvist will go somewhere in the third round. He will no doubt bolster a team’s prospect pipeline and will almost certainly have an NHL impact.
Quotables
“Blomqvist has also been Finland’s undisputed number one goalie in his age group in international events for two years now, including at the U17 World Hockey Challenge last season and at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup to start this season. He was also Finland’s number three goalie at the U18 Worlds last season as an underager. Blomqvist has the size, technical skills and hockey sense to become a starting goalie at the NHL level. But like most young goalies, he will need lots of time and development before he gets there.” – Jokke Nevalainen/DobberProspects
“Joel Blomqvist has been outstanding against his peers in the Jr. A SM-liiga. He plays bigger than he is and has excellent technique. He tracks the puck well and gobbles up rebounds.” – Tony Ferrari/DobberProspects
Strengths
- Great technique
- Quick glove
- Mental game
Under Construction – Improvements to Make
- Confidence while playing the puck
NHL Potential
Like any other goalie, it will take years for Blomqvist to develop. While everyone agrees that it is extremely hard to predict how goalies will turn out, all the signs point to him being able to become an NHL starter one day. He has great technique and is ready to handle a big workload when needed. Whichever team drafts him this year will have a goalie with great potential in their system.
Risk/Reward Analysis
Risk – 4/5, Reward – 4/5
Awards/Achievements
In 2018-19, while playing for Karpat’s U20 team, Blomqvist’s team was crowned Jr. A SM-liiga champions. He also won a silver medal at the U17 World Hockey Championships. In 2019-20, he was awarded the Jorma Valtonen Award as the Jr. A SM-liiga’s Best Goalie. He was also named to the Jr. A SM-liiga’s First All-Star Team.