The future is bright for Joel Blomqvist, who had a fantastic first season in North America. Pittsburgh’s 2020 second-round draft pick was named an AHL All-Star while posting a 25-12-6-1 record with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The 22-year-old goaltender is calm and composed between the pipes, and maintains that demeanor off the ice, with the people who know him best calling him a quiet, laid-back guy. Blomqvist took the time to give us more insight into his background and interests in a recent Q&A.
Where are you talking to us from?
Right now I'm back home in Finland, and where I'm talking from now is from my parents’ house. My hometown (Nykarleby), it’s a pretty small town. But it’s close to the small sea here in Finland. So yeah, it's pretty nice here.
What do you do for fun when you're back home?
I like to go out in the water. My hometown is pretty close to the water here. Also, my family has a summer house on an island. You have to go there with a boat. I like to hang out there during the summer. It’s a nice place where you can relax, and do some fishing and sauna. It's a good way to relax your mind, for sure.
There’s a post of you driving the boat on your Instagram. Are you usually behind the wheel when you guys take the boat over?
Yeah, usually I am behind the wheel. If not, and my older brother is with me, then he usually drives. But otherwise, I usually get the chance to drive.
Who drives the fastest?
Ah, I would say it's pretty close. I think we like to drive fast, both of us.
Going back to fishing, can you tell me what that whole process is like for you?
I like to usually just be in the moment. When I'm fishing, I usually don't think about anything else. Fishing is the only thing I focus on. I usually do cast fishing. I think otherwise, it's pretty straightforward. Go out with a boat, find a good spot and try to catch some fish. During the weekends, I try to go in the mornings. In the week, usually I have some workouts or training in the morning - so then I just do it the rest of the day.
What’s your best catch?
It's a pretty long time ago now, I haven't spent much time fishing, but I had a salmon I caught with my dad. It was seven and a half kilos [about 16.5 pounds], if anyone knows kilos. So, that was a pretty nice fish I caught.
That actually ties into another question I had. After being drafted, you did a Q&A for Penguins social media and said salmon soup was one of your favorite foods. Is that still the case? Did you make salmon soup with the big one you caught?
That salmon soup keeps haunting me still today! [Laughs]. Usually if we catch them ourselves, we smoke that fish, so no soup from it. Smoking the fish is good, too.
Well, this can be your chance to pick a new favorite food.
I mean, there's a lot of good options. Steak is always good [laughs]. But yeah, like I said, smoked salmon. Sticking to the salmon. It's really good. I would recommend it for everyone to try.
We also learned at the draft that you are a Finnish Swede. Can you explain what that means?
Usually, if I talk with someone from North America, I describe it as a Canadian who speaks French. It's pretty much the same thing here. So myself, I speak both Swedish and Finnish. So yeah, I mean, I think it's just a good thing to know different languages. I'm happy to have been brought up with that possibility.
You mentioned the sauna earlier – I feel like that’s one tradition all Finnish players embrace.
It’s pretty big here. Like, in almost every home back here, there's at least one sauna. In every apartment, too. It's pretty crazy when you think about it, but it's normal here. You would think like, a house would be crazy without a sauna here [laughs].
What’s your sauna routine?
If I am able to go, after swimming in a lake or a pool that’s pretty cold, then I'm able to be in for like, 1-2 hours. Easy. But if I can't cool myself off, then not that long, maybe 30 minutes. I prefer the sauna if you have a way to cool off yourself in between, like going in a lake and swimming. That's the best.
Do you go in there after workouts, too?
Yeah, sometimes. We also have it in Wilkes, the sauna. It's pretty nice to go in there after practice.
What do you miss the most about home when you’re in North America?
I think the coffee is something I miss. We have a little bit different-tasting coffee here, I think. So, I think that's one thing, for sure. Then, I also like the bread much better here. It's pretty common to eat for breakfast and late-night snacks over here, so I think that's something I miss a little bit. In the U.S., it's more eggs, so that was something I had to adjust to a little bit. But yeah, otherwise I find most of the things I need in the U.S., so no issues there.
How do you make your coffee in Finland?
I think it's the same way, it just tastes different. It's more mild, I guess.
And what is it about the bread back home that you really like?
It's like, a dark bread. I haven't found it anywhere in the U.S. I'm not really sure how to describe it. When my parents came to visit me during the season, they brought it with them, and it was really good.
I did want to ask about your parents and what jobs they have.
My mom, she's a nurse. I think she's been working at the same place for like, 20 years. And my dad, he's an engineer, and I think he’s also done the same thing for 20 years. So, not a lot of huge changes back home for us, just sticking to what works [laughs].
If you weren't a hockey player, do you think you would have been an engineer or a nurse for your job or anything along those lines? Or would you go in a different direction?
Yeah, I mean, my brother Emil, he pretty much did the same route as my dad trying to become an engineer. He actually graduated not too long ago. So yeah, I might have done something similar to them. He’s my only sibling.
When you're here in the States and you're not at the rink, what do you do to pass the time?
I do a little bit of schoolwork. School here in Finland, you can do all the work remotely. So, that's pretty good for me, living in a different country. But my pace isn't the best. So, I'm not sure if I'm ever gonna graduate [laughs], but it's a good way to get your thoughts away from hockey and just do something else. So, that's been pretty fun, fun to learn new stuff. I also play a little bit of PlayStation with my friends from back home, a bit of Call of Duty. I think it’s a fun way to connect with my friends that I can't see during the season. So yeah, those are the things I usually do.
Are you a competitive gamer?
No, I'm not really good at gaming. It's just a good way to connect with the friends. So yeah, I'm not really the best gamer out there.
That's funny. What level of school is it?
Back home, after high school, there's an upper secondary school. It's like the level after that. So, I think it's pretty much the same as some college or university, but not maybe really at that same level.
What subjects do you enjoy the most?
I think economics is pretty interesting, to learn how companies work and how to manage companies.
Now for a couple of hockey-related questions. How did you first start playing?
I think I started skating for the first time when I was 3 years old. So, it's been a long time since that. Back home we have skating school. It's not really hockey yet at that age, but obviously, after learning how to skate, moving to a small hockey school around the age of 5 or 6. After that, got interested in trying out goaltending. I found the equipment the goalies wore was really cool, and wanted to try it out myself. And yeah, I guess I fell in love with it, and then stuck with it from that.
Is there anything that you always have to have on your helmet when it comes to the design?
Not really. It's not as common back here, actually, to have a custom mask. So, my last season in the U.S. was my first time having free (reign) with customizing the mask. So, I don't really have that much experience from designing masks, unfortunately [laughs].
What teams did you like growing up?
I didn't really have one favorite team. I guess I followed the NHL stars like (Sidney) Crosby, (Alex) Ovechkin and the NHL goalies, like Carey Price, Tuukka Rask. So yeah, I followed a lot of different players, but didn't really have any favorite team.
Finally, what is your hockey nickname (in the U.S.)?
It's been like Blommer, Bloomy, obviously Joel. So yeah, those are probably the most popular names.
