Penguins

Penguins loan Bjorkqvist to Finnish team for full year

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Kasper Bjorkqvist. -- DKPS PHOTO

The Penguins have loaned forward prospect Kasper Bjorkqvist to Finnish club KooKoo in the top Finnish men's league, KooKoo announced on Monday.

The loan agreement is for the entire season, not just until the AHL season starts. KooKoo's press release said that Bjorkqvist could join the team as soon as Monday.

"The fact that both Kasper and Pittsburgh felt it was a good place for KooKoo to develop this season was a very positive thing for us," said KooKoo sports director Jarno Kultanen. "When the player himself expressed his desire to play in Kouvola, a contract was easily reached.

Bjorkqvist, 23, was limited to just six games last season after he accidentally collided with a teammate in practice and required ACL surgery. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Mike Vellucci told me after the season ended that Bjorkqvist had just begun skating on his own shortly before the shutdown, and that despite being unable to skate for most of the season he maintained his usual hard work ethic in his rehab. Skills coach Ty Hennes also spoke highly of his work with Bjorkqvist during his rehab.

The loan makes sense for Bjorkqvist given his injury last season. The accident that led to his surgery occurred in late October. The AHL season is currently scheduled to begin in December. Had he waited for the AHL season to start to resume playing, that would have been more than a year away from the game for him.

This will be Bjorkqvist's first time playing in Finland since playing U20 in the Espoo Blues system in the 2015-16 season. After being drafted in the second round in 2016 by the Penguins, Bjorkqvist spent three seasons at Providence College before turning pro last season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

KooKoo coach head coach Jussi Ahokas coached Bjorkqvist both in the Blues' junior system and with the Finnish national junior team.

Penguins defense prospect Antti Palojarvi also signed with KooKoo earlier in the summer after splitting last season between Liiga and the second-tier league Mestis. Palojarvi, 21, was the Penguins' sixth-round pick in 2017.

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