
Jesse Puljujarvi
Birthday: 1998-05-07 | Position: RW |
Eligible for draft: 2016 | Shoots: Right |
Drafted: 2016 | Height: 6-3 |
Acquired: 1st Round (4th Overall), 2016 | Weight: 203 lbs. |
Probability of Success
History
2013-14: Jesse Puljujarvi split time between the Karpat’s U18 and U20 squads. In 18 games for the U20 team, Puljujarvi scored 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points to go along with a +15 rating, then added seven more goals in 12 playoff games leading up to a runner-up finish . In eight games for the U18 squad, he scored seven goals and seven assists for 14 points.
2014-15: Puljujarvi saw his first action in Finland’s top league, Liiga, as a member of the Karpat squad. In 21 Liiga games, he scored four goals and added seven assists for 11 points. He also played 15 games while on loan to Hokki in Mestis, scoring eight goals and adding five assists for 13 points, then adding an assist in three playoff games for that team. Puljujarvi also spent some time with Karpat’s U20 team, scoring 12 goals and six assists for 18 points in 11 games, then scored two goals and one assist in five playoff games. Puljujarvi competed for Finland at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship, going scoreless in five games at that tourney. He also played for Finland’s entry at the 2015 U18 World Championship where he scored two goals and added five assists for seven points in seven games for the silver medalists.
2015-16: Puljujarvi played for Karpat’s Liiga squad from the start of the season. Puljujarvi once again suited up for Finland’s U20 team at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he earned MVP and Best Forward honors in his country’s gold medal win on home ice. He scored five goals and added 12 assists to finish with 17 points, the most of any player at this WJC. Puljujarvi was ranked second among European skaters for the 2016 NHL Draft in NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings, and is currently ranked second overall by ISS Hockey. Puljujarvi was chosen in the first round, fourth overall, of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.
Talent Analysis
Puljujarvi is a big, playmaking forward who uses his size to advantage and is constantly looking to create scoring chances. A talented stickhandler and passer who is extremely mobile for a player his size, he is remarkably consistent and competes in all three zones of the ice.
Future
Puljujarvi had a memorable season in 2015-16, playing for Karpat in Liiga as a 17-year-old and winning gold medals with the Finland U20 and U18 teams at their respective world championship tournaments. Expected to be one of the top three players selected in the 2016 NHL Draft, he could push for an NHL roster spot in training camp. He projects as a dominant, top line playmaker with a rare combination of size, skill and hockey instincts.