2016 Draft: 1st Pick: Jesse Puljujarvi

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Hope you're right. I really have a feeling we're going to be disappointed in him. I'm hesitant to put these guys from Finland up on a pedestal - either of them.

Why, are there a lot of high end Finnish prospects that have flamed out recently?

I fail to see why we should be expecting any kind of disappointment. I mean he may never reach the highest ends of his potential, but even getting pretty close is still a productive NHLer for a long time.

 

[McDavyCrockett]

Small sample sizes. Hall had years of destroying every level of hockey he encountered - absolutely shredding it. Puljujarvi is a great prospect, but I'm worried about how highly people are placing this kid. If he becomes 75% of what Hall is right now, the Oilers will get WAY more than they should expect.

No he didn't....he didn't *destroy* anything. Crosby and McDavid did....to a lesser extent, Kane and Tavares as well.

Hall's 17 year old numbers in the OHL were only a tad better than a Matt Duchene at the same stage......on an absolutely stacked team to boot.

 

[McFlyingV]

This! Puljujarvi has a much better resume than Hall did in his draft year. Watching him in the U18 he looked like he was playing halfassed and he was still easily the best player on the ice each night.

I don't know if I'd go that far. Hall, while playing on a very good spitfires team, was almost 2ppg in his draft year, won 2 memorial cup MVP's, and was a stud in the WJC's as well. I think knowing what we know about Hall now you could project that maybe Pulju could surpass him offensively if everything goes perfect because his shot and size are both superior to Hall at the same age (imo) and Hall's shot never really improved in the NHL.

I don't expect him to surpass Hall offensively, but I certainly expect him to be a much better 2-way player. Partially because he has a better 2-way game as a prospect than Hall had, but also because he's coming into an organization that is starting to actually look competent again. It will always be a question of what could Hall have been if he came into an organization without a coaching carousel that actually taught him the defensive side of things and developed him properly.

 

[doulos]

Well, cheers to you folks. Glad you guys think this kid is going to be better than Taylor Hall. I hope you're right. I'll be elated, but utterly shocked if he ever has an 80 point season like Hall.

 

[CupofOil]

Hall was back to back Memorial Cup MVP winner. He's the only person to ever do that isn't he? Seriously, people are forgetting how good Taylor Hall was coming onto this team.

The only comparison we can really make is WJC which is the highest level competition of that age group and a tournament they both participated in and Pulju dominated the tournament. It's almost imposslble to compare junior accomplishments to FEL accomplishments.
It's a stretch to say that Pulju will be as good a scorer as Hall is but I think he's as good a prospect as Hall was at the same age. The top 3 in this draft is very special. #3 this year competes for #1 in a lot of draft years. Whether or not he realizes his potential is another story.

 

[doulos]

The only comparison we can really make is WJC which is the highest level competition of that age group and a tournament they both participated in and Pulju dominated the tournament. It's almost imposslble to compare junior accomplishments to FEL accomplishments.
It's a stretch to say that Pulju will be as good a scorer as Hall is but I think he's as good a prospect as Hall was at the same age. The top 3 in this draft is very special. #3 competes for #1 in a lot of draft years. Whether or not he realizes his potential is another story.

I find the WJC tournament pretty tough to compare since the rosters are so drastically different from year to year and the sample sizes are so small.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Well, cheers to you folks. Glad you guys think this kid is going to be better than Taylor Hall. I hope you're right. I'll be elated, but utterly shocked if he ever has an 80 point season like Hall.

I would like to think it's a vocal minority that truly believes this, however if you're going to say that Puljujarvi can have a significant impact on the franchise, I believe this to be true.

 

[BB88]

Hope you're right. I really have a feeling we're going to be disappointed in him. I'm hesitant to put these guys from Finland up on a pedestal - either of them.

This is golden age for Finnish prospects, they made changes to junior development few years ago, Barkov and Ristolainen are the 1st examples of that.
Then last year we saw Rantanen/Aho, who both had amazing years, and Pulju is a much better prospect than those 2.

He has also shown his style fits NA rink very well.

Not saying he'll put up more points than Hall but 45 point Pulju in his prime is difficult to believe.

 

[doulos]

I would like to think it's a vocal minority that truly believes this, however if you're going to say that Puljujarvi can have a significant impact on the franchise, I believe this to be true.

Patrice Bergeron is one of the most valuable players in the league and never hit 70.

 

[doulos]

This is golden age for Finnish prospects, they made changes to junior development few years ago, Barkov and Ristolainen are the 1st examples of that.
Then last year we saw Rantanen/Aho, who both had amazing years, and Pulju is a much better prospect than those 2.

He has also shown his style fits NA rink very well.

Not saying he'll put up more points than Hall but 45 point Pulju in his prime is difficult to believe.

I'm going to start needing to see that country produce superstars, and not just solid two-way stars, before I'll believe. But it's certainly possible.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Patrice Bergeron is one of the most valuable players in the league and never hit 70.

He's very good, a little overrated, but very good. And you are correct. If Puljujarvi becomes as good of a player, the Oilers would look great.

 

[McFlyingV]

This is golden age for Finnish prospects, they made changes to junior development few years ago, Barkov and Ristolainen are the 1st examples of that.
Then last year we saw Rantanen/Aho, who both had amazing years, and Pulju is a much better prospect than those 2.

He has also shown his style fits NA rink very well.

Not saying he'll put up more points than Hall but 45 point Pulju in his prime is difficult to believe.

Yeah I'd understand the Finnish skepticism about 5 years ago, but after the last few WJC's you can see that the Finns are developing some very good players, and you're already seeing it in the NHL with Barkov, and Rantanen in the AHL (who in my mind is a much inferior player to Pulju).

 

[CupofOil]

I find the WJC tournament pretty tough to compare since the rosters are so drastically different from year to year and the sample sizes are so small.

That's fair. It's really difficult to compare prospects from different drafts.
It's better just to look at skillset and this kid has the goods in spades, I was supremely impressed by him at the WJC moreso than Laine.

I don't know if he'll ever be as good as Hall but I think he's an ideal fit for this team with his size, speed, 2 way play and overall passion which I feel has been lacking with a lot of the Oilers over the past few years.

 

[BB88]

I'm going to start needing to see that country produce superstars, and not just solid two-way stars, before I'll believe. But it's certainly possible.

Well Barkov is just 20, and he lead their team to Atlantic division win and is a true #1C at 20y.
I'm pretty happy with his development, if Pulju can be close to that at 20y I'd considered it as amazing.

Yeah I'd understand the Finnish skepticism about 5 years ago, but after the last few WJC's you can see that the Finns are developing some very good players, and you're already seeing it in the NHL with Barkov, and Rantanen in the AHL (who in my mind is a much inferior player to Pulju).

Yep, and it looks to continue next year with Vesalainen, Vaakanainen, Tolvanen and the guys.

Pulju is easily the best skater out of Rantanen/Barkov/Ristolainen/Laine/Aho so it should make him safer bet to be a NHL player, and a good NHL player.

The great thing with Pulju is that he just loves training, he loves playing hockey and you can be sure he is going to do everything he possible can to make the team next year and become the best player possible.

His coaches really love him and how hungry he is to learn, to watch videos and ask questions.

 

[doulos]

Well Barkov is just 20, and he lead their team to Atlantic division win and is a true #1C at 20y.
I'm pretty happy with his development, if Pulju can be close to that at 20y I'd considered it as amazing.

Agreed. A Barkov style player would be gold.

 

[McFlyingV]

Well Barkov is just 20, and he lead their team to Atlantic division win and is a true #1C at 20y.
I'm pretty happy with his development, if Pulju can be close to that at 20y I'd considered it as amazing.

Question regarding Barkov. I know him and Puljujarvi both had pretty similar 16 y/o seasons in the FEL, but I'm just curious if you know much about what kind of ice-time/role Barkov got in his draft year in Finland. From what I've heard about Puljujarvi he got very limited ice time on lower lines for the first half of the season and then went on a tear after the WJC's when he started to get more ice time and got to play higher in the line up. Just wondering if the separation in production between the 2 in their draft years are somewhat usage related on their respective teams.

 

[McFlyingV]

Well Barkov is just 20, and he lead their team to Atlantic division win and is a true #1C at 20y.
I'm pretty happy with his development, if Pulju can be close to that at 20y I'd considered it as amazing.



Yep, and it looks to continue next year with Vesalainen, Vaakanainen, Tolvanen and the guys.

Pulju is easily the best skater out of Rantanen/Barkov/Ristolainen/Laine/Aho so it should make him safer bet to be a NHL player, and a good NHL player.

The great thing with Pulju is that he just loves training, he loves playing hockey and you can be sure he is going to do everything he possible can to make the team next year and become the best player possible.

His coaches really love him and how hungry he is to learn, to watch videos and ask questions.

So many Laine's

 

[McDavyCrockett]

Hall was back to back Memorial Cup MVP winner. He's the only person to ever do that isn't he? Seriously, people are forgetting how good Taylor Hall was coming onto this team.

And Puljujarvi was the 1st 17 year old to win WJC mvp honors.....this goes both ways really.

Moving past accolades/accomplishments, try analyzing the two prospects in terms of their games and how it transfers.

 

[McNuge]

Difficult to compare OHL to FEL, they are soooo different. No doubt Hall was/is/will be a fantastic player. But the WJC generally doesn't change drastically from year to year. The top teams are always good (baring maybe 1 off year). If that is the only thing we can compare them in.

Then IMHO Puljujarvi is a much more interesting prospect. I think they have some similarities to there game. Speed, power, ferocity, all awesome assets. Here is how I see it. Hall, although effective, is not the brightest. He does not have elite hockey sense. Tries to do a little too much by himself instead of using the team. He is not terrible defensively but he is not great at it either, never has been. Puljujarvi on the other hand is fairly bigger than Hall. He has great speed, awareness, power, I don't think he is as effective as Hall when Hall is at his best, but I think Puljujarvi has consistency on him. Even if he is having an off game is still generally pretty decent.

I am not trying to bash Hall with this because I still really like him as a player and wish him nothing but the best. Just my opinion.

 

[McFlyingV]

Difficult to compare OHL to FEL, they are soooo different. No doubt Hall was/is/will be a fantastic player. But the WJC generally doesn't change drastically from year to year. The top teams are always good (baring maybe 1 off year). If that is the only thing we can compare them in.

Then IMHO Puljujarvi is a much more interesting prospect. I think they have some similarities to there game. Speed, power, ferocity, all awesome assets. Here is how I see it. Hall, although effective, is not the brightest. He does not have elite hockey sense. Tries to do a little too much by himself instead of using the team. He is not terrible defensively but he is not great at it either, never has been. Puljujarvi on the other hand is fairly bigger than Hall. He has great speed, awareness, power, I don't think he is as effective as Hall when Hall is at his best, but I think Puljujarvi has consistency on him. Even if he is having an off game is still generally pretty decent.

I am not trying to bash Hall with this because I still really like him as a player and wish him nothing but the best. Just my opinion.

The thing that interests me the most about Puljujarvi is his versatility. Hall has to be the driver to be effective. Puljujarvi can be the driver, he can be the complimentary player, he can be the playmaker, he can be the finisher, and he can be the defensively responsible player. Just so many aspects to his game that make him very intriguing and able to fit in more places in the lineup.

 

[BB88]

Question regarding Barkov. I know him and Puljujarvi both had pretty similar 16 y/o seasons in the FEL, but I'm just curious if you know much about what kind of ice-time/role Barkov got in his draft year in Finland. From what I've heard about Puljujarvi he got very limited ice time on lower lines for the first half of the season and then went on a tear after the WJC's when he started to get more ice time and got to play higher in the line up. Just wondering if the separation in production between the 2 in their draft years are somewhat usage related on their respective teams.

Well if I go back to game1 and what I remember, what I've heard.
Pulju was a much rawer prospect than Barkov, Barkov was special right away.
Pulju grew a bit and added about 10-15lbs during the offseason, he was fighting with his coordination or atleast it looked liked it and it was affecting his confidence.

If I remember right he was playing around 13mins per game on the 1st half, so very limited minutes. After the WJC he was a different player, I'd say 2nd half Pulju >>>> 1st half Pulju, at times he showed he could dominate against men and started scoring goal scorers goals which was a consern to some on the 1st half.
He was playing better than Laine untill his injury, and a bit after Laine found another gear and went to win MVP titles.

Where as Barkov was logging 1st line minutes, with Pulju it's more about potential than it was with Barkov, Pulju has so much potential to improve and he already looks dominating against his competition.

(I'm going by my memory, could remeber some things wrong).

edit, I also never saw Pulju as a great fit for Karpats team, his style to me fits more to NHL game, where he can use his speed better and challenge D-players with it, let him fly through neutral zone.
Those slow starts took his biggest asset away.

So many Laine's

It's the Finnish wave thats going to take over the NHL.

 

[McFlyingV]

Well if I go back to game1 and what I remember, what I've heard.
Pulju was a much rawer prospect than Barkov, Barkov was special right away.
Pulju grew a bit and added about 10-15lbs during the offseason, he was fighting with his coordination or atleast it looked liked it and it was affecting his confidence.

If I remember right he was playing around 13mins per game on the 1st half, so very limited minutes. After the WJC he was a different player, I'd say 2nd half Pulju >>>> 1st half Pulju, at times he showed he could dominate against men and started scoring goal scorers goals which was a consern to some on the 1st half.
He was playing better than Laine untill his injury, and a bit after Laine found another gear and went to win MVP titles.

Where as Barkov was logging 1st line minutes, with Pulju it's more about potential than it was with Barkov, Pulju has so much potential to improve and he already looks dominating against his competition.

edit, I also never saw Pulju as a great fit for Karpats team, his style to me fits more to NHL game, where he can use his speed better and challenge D-players with it.



It's the Finnish wave thats going to take over the NHL.

Thanks for that. Makes sense to me. I know going into this season there was a lot of talk about Pulju having the potential to overtake Matthews, and Laine really wasn't on the radar yet to contend for that. I did hear often though that Pulju is a very raw talent and that is what makes his fairly developed 2-way game exciting. I just love how much excitement this kid shows when his team scores, reminds me a lot of rookie Yakupov before Eakins sucked every ounce of joy out of the kid.

 

[McDavyCrockett]

Thanks for that. Makes sense to me. I know going into this season there was a lot of talk about Pulju having the potential to overtake Matthews, and Laine really wasn't on the radar yet to contend for that. I did hear often though that Pulju is a very raw talent and that is what makes his fairly developed 2-way game exciting. I just love how much excitement this kid shows when his team scores, reminds me a lot of rookie Yakupov before Eakins sucked every ounce of joy out of the kid.

I forgot how good Yakupov looked in his rookie year.

I will never understand why the eff we fired Kruger......ugh, it angers me to no end.

 

[McFlyingV]

I forgot how good Yakupov looked in his rookie year.

I will never understand why the eff we fired Kruger......ugh, it angers me to no end.

I think he looked alright. He was still never a driver and likely always would have been a complimentary sniper, but he sure did shoot the puck well when he actually had some confidence. If he could ever re-find his confidence he would break 20 goals easily.

 

[oStealthKiller*]

I still think Hossa in his prime is the best comparable for pulju. Idk if he hits that but if he does that's better then hall