We’re now past the halfway point of the 2025-26 season, and it’s been a good one for many years. Pittsburgh Penguins‘prospects so far.
GM/POHO Kyle Dubas has managed to infuse the Penguins organization with plenty of promising talent over the past two years by acquiring prospects and accumulating draft capital, and the Penguins’ strengthened development team has also helped young players already in the organization begin to find potential paths to the NHL.
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And the Penguins’ goaltending depth continues to impress – and continues to get deeper and deeper. In fact, besides Sergei Murashov, who has already turned heads on multiple occasions this season, they might just have another goaltender to keep a close eye on in their system.
Here is our Penguins February goaltending prospects update:
Sergei Murashev
It’s hard to believe that a guy posting a .924 save percentage at the AHL level this season has actually had a tough time this season.
Well, Murashov has struggled for a few very small stretches this season – enough to dethrone him for the best save percentage and goals against average in the AHL. In late October and late November – sandwiching a brief stint in the NHL – there was a four-game stretch where, in three of those four games, he had a save percentage below .895. At the turn of the new year, Murashov had two consecutive appearances in which he was scratched and allowed five goals in each game.
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But other than that, it was turned off. Murashov is still third in the AHL in goals against average (2.11) and save percentage, and he is also 7-1 with a .925 save percentage in his last eight appearances. He’s still – more than likely – the first guy the Penguins will call on when needed, and he’s still the best goaltending prospect in the Penguins system.
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Joel Blomqvist
After missing the first month of the season with a lower-body injury suffered during training camp, Blomqvist, 24, has had a strong start to the season. In his first nine appearances, he compiled a .929 save percentage to go along with a 5-2-2 record to close out the 2025 calendar year.
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However, he has struggled a bit since then. In his last six appearances, he has posted a .878 save percentage and a 3.17 goals-against average, putting his season save percentage at .916 and his record at 8-4-3-1.
Of course, the overall numbers are still good, and he plays a bit of a backup role behind Murashov, who has seen the majority of starts. The Penguins still have a good position on Blomqvist, and his performance versus Murashov’s for the rest of the season could help determine who has the inside track to a potential spot on the NHL roster for 2026-27.
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Taylor Gauthier
Gauthier didn’t appear in a game this season until Dec. 6, as the injury bug plagued him again early in the season — much like his start in 2024-25.
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But like last season, that didn’t deter him at all. In fact, the 25-year-old goaltender is having the best season of his career thus far for the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL.
In 15 appearances this season, Gauthier is 8-4-3 with a .937 save percentage and a 1.81 goals-against average. This includes a remarkable performance on February 4 against the Fort Wayne Comets in which he stopped 53 of 55 Comets shots en route to a 3-2 overtime victory for the Nailers.
Dubas explained that he wanted the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate to be a legitimate developmental step for players with an NHL future, and the groundwork appears to have been laid there. Gauthier has had three very impressive straight seasons for Wheeling, and he has also done so in his AHL minutes thus far.
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As good as Murashov and Blomqvist are, don’t overlook Gauthier as a legitimate option for the Penguins at some point. What’s working against him the most right now is the fact that the two guys in front of him have also been exceptional, leaving him with few opportunities to see starting minutes at the AHL level. That could change as soon as next season, if one of the other two makes the NHL roster.
Maxim Pavlenko
Pavlenko, 23 years old, signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (WBS) on a one-year contract this season, and the Kazakhstan goaltender hasn’t seen as much playing time since Gauthier’s return.
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound goaltender still has a save percentage north of .900 to .901, and his season is off to a pretty good start. But things have been a bit mixed since the start of the calendar year, as he posted shutouts on January 10 and February 7, but struggled in the three starts in between, posting a .759 save percentage in those three appearances.
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It’s also worth noting that Pavlenko appeared in four games in the AHL earlier this season, going 3-1 with a .912 save percentage, including one shutout.
If he can find a little more consistency, he could be a legitimate depth option for the Penguins in their system. He moves well for a goalie his size and takes up a lot of space in front of the net, and his play at the international level gives reason for optimism.
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Gabriel D’Aigle
You may have heard at this point that the numbers don’t tell the whole story for D’Aigle, whose Victoriaville Tigres awarded a QMJHL-a record 1,245 shots against, a similar story to last season.
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Well, he’s also the one who made the most saves during the QMJHL with 1,129, and his .907 save percentage still ranks him ninth in the league, even though he is ninth in the league in minutes for goaltenders. This thing alone kind of shows that there may be more to D’Aigle than what meets the eye through a simple stat line.
But it goes beyond that. Faceoff Factor’s Jesse Marshall Had a Fantastic Breakdown of the season that D’Aigle produced, showing how Penguins’ 84th pick in 2025 is constantly under siege every spawn and always manages to make 10 bell save after 10 bell save.
D’Aigle is not only tall at 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds, he is also very fast and very athletic. Marshall’s breakdown covers all that, so make sure to check it out here.
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This guy might be one to watch. Once he’s in a more stable environment — and not one where most goaltenders would probably look much worse — those numbers could look much better if he could put it all together.
Notable: G Filip Larsson cleared waivers for contract termination and is now a free agent
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