"Kasper is an honest, responsible two-way player who is very coachable and understands the game well," said assistant general manager Patrik Allvin. "We felt that it was important for Kasper to play in Finland last year after his injuries, and he found a lot of success there, which was good for his development. He has all of the intangibles to develop into an NHL player."
Bjorkqvist, 24, split the 2020-21 season between KooKoo of Liiga, Finland's top professional league, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League. While on a loan with KooKoo, Bjorkqvist recorded 11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points with a plus-14 in 44 games. His 26 points ranked fourth (tied) on the team and the most among all league rookies, earning him Rookie of the Year honors.
The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Bjorkqvist joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the end of the season, recording one goal in five games before being recalled to Pittsburgh's taxi squad for the playoffs.
Bjorkqvist made his professional debut in 2019-20 with the WBS Penguins. He played six games and recorded one goal before a season-ending injury.
The forward played three seasons of collegiate hockey at Providence College between 2016-19. In 112 career games at Providence, Bjorkqvist recorded 36 goals, 26 assists and 62 points.
Internationally, the Espoo, Finland native won a gold medal at the 2016 World Junior Championship and captained the Finns to a silver medal at the 2015 Under-18 World Junior Championship.
Bjorkqvist was drafted by Pittsburgh in the second round (61st overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft.
