Confirmed with Link: Jesse Pulkkinen signs 3 year ELC

[SI90]

Agent Dan Milstein from Goldstarwith the announcement.

I expect him to play another year in Europe.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1812945516839510249

Click to read more...

 

[crashthenet]

Is he the first of this year's 2nd round picks to sign?

 

[SI90]

Is he the first of this year's 2nd round picks to sign?

No.

 

[mm11]

def an interesting player to keep eyes on for a few years

 

[xECK29x]

Stylistically similar to Hedman, could have some real untapped potential for someone that skates as well as he does as big as he is.

 

[periferal]

Cool looking photo.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

Stylistically similar to Hedman,

 

[IslesNorway]

Interesting that they signed him so quickly, even before Eiserman. I think they may well have planned to take him in the first round, if Eiserman didn't fall into their lap.

 

[SI90]

Interesting that they signed him so quickly, even before Eiserman. I think they may well have planned to take him in the first round, if Eiserman didn't fall into their lap.

Can’t sign Eiserman because he’s playing in the NCAA this upcoming season.

For players in College if they sign pro contracts they can’t play in college.

 

[boredmale]

I expect him to play another year in Europe.

Given he was a late (Dec) 2004 Brthday, I don't think it's out of the question he plays in Bridgeport this year. He will be to old for the World Jrs

 

[SI90]

Given he was a late (Dec) 2004 Brthday, I don't think it's out of the question he plays in Bridgeport this year. He will be to old for the World Jrs

Not out of the question at all but for his development I think playing a full year in Liiga will be best. I’m pretty sure he only played for the first time in the top division in Liiga last year and it was about 30 games.
Thats a tough jump to North American Pro hockey. If the isles feel they can develop him better over here I’ll be all for it but in my honest opinion it would be best for him to stay in Europe.

 

[Potvottier]

Size is not an issue for him (6'6", 220 lbs), and will be 20 in December. I see no reason why they wouldn't work with him a bit, see how he adapts to the AHL. I wanna see what he's got too!

Cautiously excited. Expecting to see a well-balanced game from him. Lil bit of grit, lit bit of offense, tough defending. Would love to see him boom, right out of the gate, and be this generations Potvin.

Is that too much to ask?

 

[saintunspecified]

Thats a tough jump to North American Pro hockey. If the isles feel they can develop him better over here I’ll be all for it but in my honest opinion it would be best for him to stay in Europe.

I hope they make a decision in camp.

All the highlights I've seen of him involves him taking his sweet sweet time. And that's not a criticism - he's got swagger. But getting into the habit of doing that too often is going to bite him in North America.

 

[BelovedIsles]

Hey, I said the Hedman comp (check the thread).

 

[xECK29x]

Hey, I said the Hedman comp (check the thread).

You certainly did

 

[periferal]

Anyone else feel like there are some comparisons to Chara when he was drafted? Not that they are that close to being a similar player (other than the hieght), but moreso that both were raw and scouts didn't have as much to go on when they were drafted as with other prospects. Thus in both cases you are betting more on upside than tons of game tape.

If Pulkkinen winds up being 50% what Chara was then that's a home run. In fact I'm betting he does.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

Anyone else feel like there are some comparisons to Chara when he was drafted? Not that they are that close to being a similar player (other than the hieght), but moreso that both were raw and scouts didn't have as much to go on when they were drafted as with other prospects. Thus in both cases you are betting more on upside than tons of game tape.

My first thought is that scouting nowadays is in a FAR different place than it was when Chara was coming up.

Back then, Chara was gangling mess of a human being and hardly a soul knew who he was before he showed up in the WHL, where he didn't exactly excel.

Everyone in the biz has seen Pulkkinen play, perhaps even quite a bit. Aside from the technical means by which the scouting community can watch every minute he played last season, shift for shift, hardly a nation outside of North America is scouted more heavily than Finland.

If you're 21 or younger and playing Liiga hockey, then everybody knows everything about you.

***
Right after he was drafted, my biggest question was whether they'd sign him and bring him over now. Kind of feels like if they thought it was worth signing Holmstrom and bringing him over as a teenager right off of an injury-filled draft season, then signing the older Pulkkinen coming off a full season of Liiga action felt like a gimme.

Personally, when I look at that BPort blueline, I just don't know how they'd want so many newbies in there at the same time. And if Cholowski remains, and you've still got Hutton, Mitchell, Fulp, Newpower, and Warren, but are then adding George, Odelius, and Rajaniemi, is there really any room for Pulkkinen? Or who of these draftees do you really want playing ECHL hockey at this point?

I mean, we've ultimately had some success with Dmen going through BPort to get to the NHL, but it would seem prudent in my book to see each of Odelius and Pulkkinen remain in Europe while George sticks with London.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[seafoam]

My first thought is that scouting nowadays is in a FAR different place than it was when Chara was coming up.

Back then, Chara was gangling mess of a human being and hardly a soul knew who he was before he showed up in the WHL, where he didn't exactly excel.

Everyone in the biz has seen Pulkkinen play, perhaps even quite a bit. Aside from the technical means by which the scouting community can watch every minute he played last season, shift for shift, hardly a nation outside of North America is scouted more heavily than Finland.

If you're 21 or younger and playing Liiga hockey, then everybody knows everything about you.

***
Right after he was drafted, my biggest question was whether they'd sign him and bring him over now. Kind of feels like if they thought it was worth signing Holmstrom and bringing him over as a teenager right off of an injury-filled draft season, then signing the older Pulkkinen coming off a full season of Liiga action felt like a gimme.

Personally, when I look at that BPort blueline, I just don't know how they'd want so many newbies in there at the same time. And if Cholowski remains, and you've still got Hutton, Mitchell, Fulp, Newpower, and Warren, but are then adding George, Odelius, and Rajaniemi, is there really any room for Pulkkinen? Or who of these draftees do you really want playing ECHL hockey at this point?

I mean, we've ultimately had some success with Dmen going through BPort to get to the NHL, but it would seem prudent in my book to see each of Odelius and Pulkkinen remain in Europe while George sticks with London.

Just my 2 cents.

Hutton, Newpower, and Fulp are all right handed shots so they are not directly competing with Pulkkinen (unless he's a left shot D who plays dominantly on the right side, something that would be news to me). Between those three guys, they have 452 games of AHL experience combined.

So the left side is pretty much up for grabs, there's a good chance Rajaniemi and Warren are ECHL bound and George could always return for London to try and actually have a dominant season.