Kasper Björkqvist
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]
| Kasper Björkqvist | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
10 July 1997 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 | ||
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 | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2016 Finland | |
| IIHF World U18 Championship | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2015 Switzerland | |
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
- "Kasper Björkqvist". Elite Prospects.
- "Penguins sign Kasper Bjorkqvist to entry-level contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- "Kasper Bjorkqvist joins KooKoo for season" (in Finnish). KooKoo. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- "Penguins re-sign forward Kasper Bjorkqvist to a one-year contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- "Kasper takes his chance on NHL debut". NewJerseyDailyPress.com. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- "Kasper Bjorkqvist to Karpat on a two-year contract" (in Finnish). Oulun Kärpät. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database