The season has challenged the Finnish NHL. Jesse Pulkkinen has even been in a situation that could never have expected before the start of the season.
Not everything goes like Strömsö.
It has been learned this season by JYP’s young top beast Jesse Pulkkinen20.
This was supposed to be the season the youngster plays through the SM League and breaks into the elite of the series. However, the season has become more difficult than Pulkkinen could expect.
He played a great last season in JYP and was also in a good mood after the World Championships under the 20-year-old World Championships. In the summer, a high NHL booking also clicked on pre-expectations.
I thought I’d get to the SM League elite packs.
At that time, everything seemed to go as well as in Strömsö.
In the summer, Pulkkinen injured his knee, after which the course turned. Pulkkinen is still partly on the road.
Hard start
Pulkkinen was not still in full swing in the first games of the season. Injury in the summer bothered.
“The injury has certainly contributed to the season that the season started,” he admits.
The injury took the best blade from the first league games of the season. He was not in full condition at the opening of the season.
“The four five games went that the foot moved in one direction,” he says.
Successes last season are fueling. The man set his hard goals for this season, but he has not yet managed to reach the level of his own expectations.
-I thought I’d get to the SM League elite packages.
There was all the lunch for it. The big and well -moving Pulkkinen dazzled with his confidence and certainty last season.
Pulkkinen’s movement has not been at the last season this season. Vesa Pöppönen / All Over Press
Pulkkinen is not entirely sure what the depression is. Although he was perfectly healthy, the game did not go as desired.
– Personally, I know I can play at the highest level, but my confidence has been a bit missing. At no point did it go to the union properly.
Laukaa fetched his lost confidence even from the JYP U20 for a couple of matches when he couldn’t fit into the SM league roster.
In those two U20 games (1+4), Pulkkinen did what he wanted.
However, the man opens up a surprising story behind the “auditorium”.
-There was discussion with the pack coach, and he said he would not necessarily come to that place in the SM League. Then I raised myself that I could go to the U20 team to get a big reel role and self-confidence.
The young man’s attitude is okay. Pulkkinen is ready to work for the game to go.
After the creepy start, Pulkkinen has improved his game towards the rest of the season and has risen head coach Johan Pennerborn Among the credit horses.
A special summer
Pulkkinen’s season began in an exceptional way for him. The young man was involved in the New York Islanders training camp.
A knee injury that came in the summer made it difficult for the man to practice, and he only returned to ice training at the Islanders camp.
Nevertheless, he describes his time in New York.
– I was still rehabilitating my knee and getting to know the places.
The Islanders booked a large and well-moving defender at last summer’s NHL reservation event as a “over-age”. Pulkkinen was already available at the summer 2023 booking, but at that time the clubs did not grab the man.
Last season’s great extracts in the SM League and the Under-20 World Cup turned the heads of player watchdogs and club bosses.
At the end of the second round of Pulkkinen, the Islanders picked up the event as a 54th player. Pulkkinen was reserved for “over-age” early.
There is still a lot of work ahead.
Laukaa’s man could not imagine before last summer’s booking that he would be booked in the second round – despite the fine season.
As the booking approached, several clubs contacted a young Finn. At that time, Pulkkinen dawned that the reservation might be close.
– We talked or went to eat with almost every club. And there were also interviews in Combin.
NHL Combine is an event for young players where they perform various physical tests and are interviewed by NHL clubs.
The US had not been caught in Pulkk in last year’s U20. Chris tanouye
It didn’t take long for Pulkkinen to named his name on the NHL entity contract paper.
He spent a summer day at home when he was called behind the racket.
– It was asked what I think if I was made a contract player. It didn’t take long to think. I wrote the contract immediately.
Pulkkinen also got a moment to dream of every young player. He sat down at the table, and a picture of a young man was grabbed a picture of him writing his first NHL.
For a moment, signing the contract seemed really sweet, but the attitude changed very quickly.
– It was an indication that things have been done right, but there is still a lot of work ahead to play there.
Pulkkinen’s JYP fights for the last playoffs with Fly, TPS and Sport.