RW Jesse Puljujärvi - Karpat, FEL (2016 Draft)

[ChicagoBullsFan]

How high Puljujarvi will drafted next year?
As a Finn i hope and i believe he gets picked 1st overall pick.

But i assume Matthews is the 1st overall pick next year and why, Matthews is too good to drop 2nd or 3rd overall pick.
And if Arizona Coyotes has the 1st overall pick next years draft they'll pick Matthews.

Puljujarvi is best Finnish junior hockey player in his age group.
Not only in Finland he's perhaps best 2016 NHL draft prospect what whole Europe has to offer next years NHL draft.

Also Puljujarvi is going to be one of those players ( with Rantanen,Kapanen,Laine, Saarela,Juolevi,Saarijarvi and Tuulola) who's getting big scoring responsible for team Finland's roster U20 WJC home tournament in Helsinki.

What all of you other members here in hfboards.com thinking which team picks Puljujarvi 1st round 2016 NHL draft.
Is it Edmonton ( hopefully not they have McDavid) Buffalo,Toronto, New Jersey or Carolina.

Which one NHL player Puljujarvi compares better Ovechkin or Rick Nash.
Or former NHLer Ilya Kovalchuck. I think Puljujarvi compares for Ovechkin.

 

[hamzarocks]

How high Puljujarvi will drafted next year?
As a Finn i hope and i believe he gets picked 1st overall pick.

But i assume Matthews is the 1st overall pick next year and why, Matthews is too good to drop 2nd or 3rd overall pick. And if Arizona Coyotes has the 1st overall pick next years draft they'll pick Matthews.

Puljujarvi is best Finnish junior hockey player in his age group.
Not only in Finland he's best 2016 NHL draft prospect what whole Europe has to offer next years NHL draft.

Also Puljujarvi is going to be one of those players ( with Rantanen,Kapanen,Laine, Saarela,Juolevi,Saarijarvi and Tuulola) who's getting big scoring responsible for team Finland's U20 WJC home tournament roster in Helsinki.

What all of you other members here in hfboards.com thinking which team picks Puljujarvi 1st round 2016 NHL draft, is it Edmonton ( hopefully not they have McDavid) Buffalo,Toronto, New Jersey or Carolina.

Which one NHL player Puljujarvi compares better Ovechkin or Rick Nash.
Or former NHLer Ilya Kovalchuck. I think Puljujarvi compares for Ovechkin.

is he better than barkov was at his age, cause barkov's stats in his draft year were amazing.

 

[Spade]

is he better than barkov was at his age, cause barkov's stats in his draft year were amazing.

In terms of effectiveness they're on the same level. Barkov's big issue heading into his draft year was his skating, which wasn't elite. Otherwise, everything he had screamed top NHL prospect and given his leap in development over the summer of 2012 it's no surprise he became the highest drafted Finnish skater ever.

Puljujarvi might be even more of an athletic freak than Barkov. Unlike Barkov he has no weaknesses physically, he skates extremely well (no need for the "for a big man" tag, he'd be a great skater even at 5'11"), has a solid frame, a rocket for a shot and slick vision and playmaking abilities.

What he lacks right now are twofold - 1 is that he's not a great defensive player, unlike Barkov who was a shutdown guy in the top league at 16. Not that he's bad, but he's only average in relation to his peers at the top level. That is something that should come around with more experience and strength.

Secondly, he's not a center. Sounds dumb but it's wide knowledge that in terms of importance placed on positions, winger is probably the least important to building a championship caliber team. That isn't something he can change, I feel like Puljujarvi is most effective on the wing using his reach, shot and skating to terrorize opponents. It's not a trait that would drop him in the rankings, but it is something to consider if you have that top pick and have to choose between a center in Auston Matthews, a defender in Jakob Chychrun, and a winger in Puljujarvi.

At this moment in time, Puljujarvi might have even more talent and upside than Barkov. But Barkov also took off like a rocket in his draft year playing big minutes in all situations at an important position. You can't go out and expect Puljujarvi to do the same, it wouldn't be fair to place those expectations on him.

 

[hamzarocks]

In terms of effectiveness they're on the same level. Barkov's big issue heading into his draft year was his skating, which wasn't elite. Otherwise, everything he had screamed top NHL prospect and given his leap in development over the summer of 2012 it's no surprise he became the highest drafted Finnish skater ever.

Puljujarvi might be even more of an athletic freak than Barkov. Unlike Barkov he has no weaknesses physically, he skates extremely well (no need for the "for a big man" tag, he'd be a great skater even at 5'11"), has a solid frame, a rocket for a shot and slick vision and playmaking abilities.

What he lacks right now are twofold - 1 is that he's not a great defensive player, unlike Barkov who was a shutdown guy in the top league at 16. Not that he's bad, but he's only average in relation to his peers at the top level. That is something that should come around with more experience and strength.

Secondly, he's not a center. Sounds dumb but it's wide knowledge that in terms of importance placed on positions, winger is probably the least important to building a championship caliber team. That isn't something he can change, I feel like Puljujarvi is most effective on the wing using his reach, shot and skating to terrorize opponents. It's not a trait that would drop him in the rankings, but it is something to consider if you have that top pick and have to choose between a center in Auston Matthews, a defender in Jakob Chychrun, and a winger in Puljujarvi.

At this moment in time, Puljujarvi might have even more talent and upside than Barkov. But Barkov also took off like a rocket in his draft year playing big minutes in all situations at an important position. You can't go out and expect Puljujarvi to do the same, it wouldn't be fair to place those expectations on him.

he seems like an electrifying player, and is really fast skater. I want the leafs to draft either him or chychuran next year. If he can become a elite player like ovi, or kane than he will be an elite talent in the nhl. I never knew a finnish player had never gone 1st overall hoping he goes 1st, he has all the talent in the world, though i think it might be harder for him due to him playing in europe instead of North America.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

is he better than barkov was at his age, cause barkov's stats in his draft year were amazing.

It's difficult to compare Barkov and Puljujarvi, because of age difference ( Barkov is 2,5 years older than Jesse Puljujarvi) and game position.
Barkov is center and Puljujarvi winger.

Here's link to Jesse Puljujarvi eliteprospect.com profile.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=152117

This article published The Hockey News Magazine last december before U20 WJC tournament in Montreal and Toronto.
http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/big-smile-and-a-nose-for-the-net-meet-the-next-teemu-selanne/

And here's Jesse Puljujarvi highlight video for 2015 World Junior Tourney
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwI_wjNB_Bk

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

he seems like an electrifying player, and is really fast skater. I want the leafs to draft either him or chychuran next year. If he can become a elite player like ovi, or kane than he will be an elite talent in the nhl. I never knew a finnish player had never gone 1st overall hoping he goes 1st, he has all the talent in the world, though i think it might be harder for him due to him playing in europe instead of North America.

That's true no-one Finnish prospect hasn't be yet 1st overall pick in NHL.
Our ( Finland's) highest picks are been Barkov 2nd overall ( 2013) and Kari Lehtonen ( also 2nd overall 2002) other top 3 picks are been Aki Berg 1995 and 1997 Olli Jokinen both drafted 3rd overall.

So if Puljujarvi goes 1st overall pick next years draft he'll we first Finnish 1st overall pick in NHL.

Playing in Finnish Elite League is harder than Finnish Junior teams.
The game in liiga is much faster than juniors and players are adult grown men pro athletes.

Tappara never send Barkov to develop in mestis ( Finland's 2nd pro level after liiga). But Oulun Karpat send Puljujarvi to develop in mestis because Karpat is Finland's best hockey team and they have lots of good players looking for breakthrough in liiga that's why Puljujarvi loaned for mestis last season.

 

[Dogewow]

What all of you other members here in hfboards.com thinking which team picks Puljujarvi 1st round 2016 NHL draft.
Is it Edmonton ( hopefully not they have McDavid) Buffalo,Toronto, New Jersey or Carolina.

As a Sabres fan I would be thrilled if we had the 2nd or 3rd overall pick next year and could draft Puljujarvi. The idea of having an elite winger on Jack Eichel or Sam Reinhart's side would be almost too much to pass up. It would turn our offense from pretty good into an elite level, Stanley Cup offense, at least a few years down the road. Going forward for the Sabres offense, I would say depth for our 3rd and 4th lines and getting another quality top-line winger for our centers to play with is our top priority. Puljujarvi would definitely be the answer to that.

With that said, it would be difficult to turn down Chychrun if he were to be available to us. He looks like the real deal, two-way offensive and defensive force on the blue-line. I don't know if he has Keith or Doughty type potential as I don't know enough about him, but having him and Ristolainen as our top pairing plus Zadorov and Bogosian behind him makes our defense core elite for sure.

If we somehow have the 1st overall next year then we are definitely taking Matthews and trading Reinhart for wing/defensive help, or goaltending if we still haven't sorted that situation out.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

As a Sabres fan I would be thrilled if we had the 2nd or 3rd overall pick next year and could draft Puljujarvi. The idea of having an elite winger on Jack Eichel or Sam Reinhart's side would be almost too much to pass up. It would turn our offense from pretty good into an elite level, Stanley Cup offense, at least a few years down the road. Going forward for the Sabres offense, I would say depth for our 3rd and 4th lines and getting another quality top-line winger for our centers to play with is our top priority. Puljujarvi would definitely be the answer to that.

With that said, it would be difficult to turn down Chychrun if he were to be available to us. He looks like the real deal, two-way offensive and defensive force on the blue-line. I don't know if he has Keith or Doughty type potential as I don't know enough about him, but having him and Ristolainen as our top pairing plus Zadorov and Bogosian behind him makes our defense core elite for sure.

If we somehow have the 1st overall next year then we are definitely taking Matthews and trading Reinhart for wing/defensive help, or goaltending if we still haven't sorted that situation out.

Eichel and Puljujarvi would be lethal duo for Sabres future just like Reinhart and Puljujarvi.
But of course it's gonna be though and difficult decision which one ( Matthews or Puljujarvi) Sabres takes if they'll have 1st overall pick next year.

But personally i would be surprised if Coyotes pass up Matthews next years draft.
Matthews is first Arizona native american prospect next years draft and i don't think coyotes won't pick him.

As a Panthers fan i would like to see Puljujarvi in florida panthers 1st round pick.
He and Barkov would be awesome and deathly duo in panthers offence.

But if panthers wants Puljujarvi they'll should get 1st overall or least top 3 pick next years draft.
But what are their chances to get that pick that's the question.

As a prospect Puljujarvi haven't any weaknesses his skating is excellent, basic hockey skills are really good and his physic is excellent.
Because Puljujarvi is a freak for physical practices but his defense game needs improve a bit.

 

[JJTT]

All of the top3 picks will be decided by lottery next year so it's kinda pointless to speculate where he ends up at this point.

 

[kelsier]

He reminds me of Kovalchuk as a player and a Selänne as a person. Selänne was/is a freak in Finnish standards of how a person can handle the media or be a role model for all the youngsters out there. Goes against the normal stereotype of a Finnish guy who's normally humble and quiet. He had character and hopefully Jesse will develope that as well, along with having that all around smile Teemu had throughout his career.

He has the looks of a Kovalchuk as a player and that's the most common comparison I've heard and seen while watching the kid play. I'm pretty confident Kärpät has paved the way for Puljujärvi to show what he can do at men's level as a regular, even while having the best core around the league. He's the most promising Finn since Selänne and they are well aware of that. Either way, the upside is tremendous and we've already seen more than just flashes of it. No point adding expectations of exceeding Barkov's records but rather watch and enjoy for what he can do with one year of FEL/Mestis under the belt.

 

[Future]

He was much more impressive in the WJC than McDavid and Eichel at the same age. He has all the tools to be a superstar in the NHL. Just the entire package.... Size, skating, hands, shot, passing, IQ, etc. The only flaw that might hold him back from being the first pick next year will be his position (winger).

The top 3 is just insane next year.

 

[Risingwind]

Pulju hasn't torn up the Finnish league because Kärpät is a stacked team and they can afford to let the kids develop with a focus towards the future. There wasn't any need to play him in FEL as a 16-year-old and probably get him injured several times. Even for Barkov the risk was always there. Everyone in the Kärpät organization knows that Pulju could do it if given the chance, but they're still making him grind to maximize his training efficiency until he leaves to NA. The Finnish prospects have typically been quite weak when first arriving in the NHL draft and have to struggle with the physical play for a long time.

I'm expecting Puljujärvi to be a statement from his trainers how a Finnish kid can be ready to play in a tough league at draft age.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Pulju hasn't torn up the Finnish league because Kärpät is a stacked team and they can afford to let the kids develop with a focus towards the future. There wasn't any need to play him in FEL as a 16-year-old and probably get him injured several times. Even for Barkov the risk was always there. Everyone in the Kärpät organization knows that Pulju could do it if given the chance, but they're still making him grind to maximize his training efficiency until he leaves to NA. The Finnish prospects have typically been quite weak when first arriving in the NHL draft and have to struggle with the physical play for a long time.

I'm expecting Puljujärvi to be a statement from his trainers how a Finnish kid can be ready to play in a tough league at draft age.

Most Finnish NHL players are been weak their physical play example Mikael Granlund when he debuted in NHL season 2012-2013.
And also Sami Vatanen has needed improve his physical play.

But Puljujarvi isn't weak, because he don't have much weaknesses.

 

[Pominville Knows]

I have met him. He was really down to earth and he felt honoured and energized by me asking for his autograph on a home made card, took good time signing it although it was more of a signature than an autograph lol. I would be surprised if he was not the next Selanne in terms of solidness as a person, he simply was not one of those ******** that look sympathetic on TV but in reality they are not.

 

[JFA87-66-99]

I cant wait to hear more about him this upcoming season during his draft year. Everyone has been raving about him for the past 2-3 years already

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

He was much more impressive in the WJC than McDavid and Eichel at the same age. He has all the tools to be a superstar in the NHL. Just the entire package.... Size, skating, hands, shot, passing, IQ, etc. The only flaw that might hold him back from being the first pick next year will be his position (winger).

The top 3 is just insane next year.

Agreed, he blew me away.

 

[seadawg]

He is impressive because of his physical attributes...size, speed, strength...but his lack of finish is a concern for me. I'm not saying that he isn't the real deal, but I worry that he is one of those players that has all the tools, but can't put them together to put up points.

This is a big year for him (obviously) to show the world that he can score points. No more excuses.

 

[Alexandrov]

He is impressive because of his physical attributes...size, speed, strength...but his lack of finish is a concern for me. I'm not saying that he isn't the real deal, but I worry that he is one of those players that has all the tools, but can't put them together to put up points.

This is a big year for him (obviously) to show the world that he can score points. No more excuses.

Oh, his production has been great. Over a goal per game in juniors, 0.5 goals per game and 0.5 points per game in Mestis & Liiga respectively, playing against men as a 16 year old kid.

Hopefully he doesn't have to play in multiple teams next season. Some consistency in that regard would be great for him.

In WJC he went 0+0 so I guess that's what you're referring to. But he looked freaking great, and that was 5 games.

 

[TheFinnishTrap]

Oh, his production has been great. Over a goal per game in juniors, 0.5 goals per game and 0.5 points per game in Mestis & Liiga respectively, playing against men as a 16 year old kid.

Hopefully he doesn't have to play in multiple teams next season. Some consistency in that regard would be great for him.

In WJC he went 0+0 so I guess that's what you're referring to. But he looked freaking great, and that was 5 games.

Yeah, I remember some commentators pegging it as the greatest 0+0 performance ever. With just a tad better luck Jesse would have outperformed Auston Matthews.

 

[seadawg]

Oh, his production has been great. Over a goal per game in juniors, 0.5 goals per game and 0.5 points per game in Mestis & Liiga respectively, playing against men as a 16 year old kid.

Hopefully he doesn't have to play in multiple teams next season. Some consistency in that regard would be great for him.

In WJC he went 0+0 so I guess that's what you're referring to. But he looked freaking great, and that was 5 games.

WJC for sure, but also U18s and Hlinka. Many times in the games I watched he exhibited a lack of finish. He definitely creates chances, but he misses way more than I'd like from a prospect so highly regarded and often compared to an elite goal scorer like Kovalchuk.

And I'd say his numbers in Mestis and Liiga are modest at best. I haven't watched him play any of those games, but I have heard all the excuses from the Finnish posters on here about his young age, lack of playing time, jumping between teams, not meshing with his line-mates, etc. Those all may be totally legitimate reasons why his numbers are less than spectacular. I am excited about him, but this coming year is the time for him to step up his play and produce numbers that match the hype. He really has no more excuses now.

 

[perstakli]

And I'd say his numbers in Mestis and Liiga are modest at best. I haven't watched him play any of those games, but I have heard all the excuses from the Finnish posters on here about his young age, lack of playing time, jumping between teams, not meshing with his line-mates, etc. Those all may be totally legitimate reasons why his numbers are less than spectacular. I am excited about him, but this coming year is the time for him to step up his play and produce numbers that match the hype. He really has no more excuses now.

Modest? The complete list of players that have played in FEL (eg. at the top level after 1975) as a 16-year old is quite brief and only 3 of those (Barkov, Puljujärvi and Juha Jyrkkiö in the 70s) have managed over 10 points in a season and in fact Puljujärvi had better PPG than Barkov. He still had a great season for his age even if it was a bit underwhelming after all the hype, but I'd feel the problem is believing the hype, not his play

I do agree with you, it's definitely a make or break season for him. PPG+ or bust, but thankfully he'll have the best team and one of the best organizations in Finland around him to build from. Hopefully summer training goes well and he manages to stay injury-free for the season.

 

[Spade]

WJC for sure, but also U18s and Hlinka. Many times in the games I watched he exhibited a lack of finish. He definitely creates chances, but he misses way more than I'd like from a prospect so highly regarded and often compared to an elite goal scorer like Kovalchuk.

And I'd say his numbers in Mestis and Liiga are modest at best. I haven't watched him play any of those games, but I have heard all the excuses from the Finnish posters on here about his young age, lack of playing time, jumping between teams, not meshing with his line-mates, etc. Those all may be totally legitimate reasons why his numbers are less than spectacular. I am excited about him, but this coming year is the time for him to step up his play and produce numbers that match the hype. He really has no more excuses now.

For all the talk about corsi and advanced stats, you'd think a player who can generate chances and score every now and again would be considered valuable. That being said, I agree that he needs to start finishing in leagues besides the Finnish junior teams.

European draftees always have more modest numbers, that's what happens when 16 and 17 year old prospects go against career players. It's not a question mark right now.

I have full confidence that he'll be a 40 point player in the Liiga next year, barring unforeseen injuries or team management. He really does look like Ilya Kovalchuk, and I loved Kovy when he was in the NHL. Just a fantastic athlete with air tanks for lungs. If Puljujarvi comes even close to living that comparison up, he's going to be a hell of a player.

 

[Alexandrov]

WJC for sure, but also U18s and Hlinka. Many times in the games I watched he exhibited a lack of finish. He definitely creates chances, but he misses way more than I'd like from a prospect so highly regarded and often compared to an elite goal scorer like Kovalchuk.

And I'd say his numbers in Mestis and Liiga are modest at best. I haven't watched him play any of those games, but I have heard all the excuses from the Finnish posters on here about his young age, lack of playing time, jumping between teams, not meshing with his line-mates, etc. Those all may be totally legitimate reasons why his numbers are less than spectacular. I am excited about him, but this coming year is the time for him to step up his play and produce numbers that match the hype. He really has no more excuses now.

Yeah I guess he didn't blow the roof in u18s either (PPG). I didn't watch any Hlinka games so can't say much about that. If you think his Mestis and Liiga numbers are modest at best, you need to temper your expectations for kids playing against men. No matter what kind of a talent you are is, it is incredibly difficult to produce in a professional league as a 16 year old kid. For example, Laine was great at u18s, but he went 5+7 in 36GP in Mestis.

We will see how he performs next season. I'd like to see Matthews play in the Swiss league next year. It would set precedence how a top talent should produce in professional Euro league, while making it easier for us to compare their point totals.

 

[seadawg]

To be clear, I'm not really talking about his point totals but more his lack of elite-level finishing, at least from what I witnessed in the international tournaments.

However, a lack of finish and point totals do go hand-in-hand, and I will be watching his point totals in the Finnish league closely this year to see if there is a noted improvement. He will be older, stronger, and get more ice time/responsibility/opportunity, so that should translate to better numbers.

In the international tournaments, I'd like him to be among the scoring leaders in each tournament and I'd like to see him score more goals. I know that is putting a lot of pressure on a young kid, but if he truly is someone in consideration for 1st overall, those are the expectations.

 

[VLU5]

I've been following him for a couple of years now and come next season I might try take it to a new level. I've been pondering with an idea of making play-by-play sort of videos every now and then of his play in FEL IF people would be interested. The two big questions are 1) whether ppl wanna see them 2) how to record them lol