Player Discussion Jesse Puljujärvi 4th Overall 2016 Draft. Part IV

[misfit]

Everyone has a right to their opinion and maybe Yamamoto becomes the better player. That said, writing off Jesse is a BIG mistake IMO. Size, speed, a good shot and playmaking ability.

I agree. I get the idea of not wanting to mark him in as a sure fire top line RW next year, but JP is still very much a blue chip prospect and very likely (IMO) to make this team on merit next year and have an impact.

I wouldn't be penciling him into the AHL lineup because I don't see any reason to think he isn't one of our 4 best RWs.

 

[MoneyGuy]

I disagree with Lowetide on this but Mitchell is very capable and is entitled to his incorrect opinions. Pulju will be fine and projects to be a second-liner. Yamamoto could be better if he can overcome his wee-ness.

 

[Staghorn]

Puljujarvi probably still doesn't understand half the instructions given to him

I still do not get how a kid who had NHL written all over him for probably 1-2 years before his draft doesn't, in Finland where English is taught everywhere, get at least a working knowledge of English going for himself. This kid was poorly prepared and I question his dedication frankly if he didn't learn the language. Perhaps this is why he "shockingly" didn't go 3rd overall??

He's gotta step up the language and conditioning big time. I'd nail him to the AHL for the year if he comes to camp anything but TOTALLY prepared.

 

[redgrant]

I still do not get how a kid who had NHL written all over him for probably 1-2 years before his draft doesn't, in Finland where English is taught everywhere, get at least a working knowledge of English going for himself. This kid was poorly prepared and I question his dedication frankly if he didn't learn the language. Perhaps this is why he "shockingly" didn't go 3rd overall??

He's gotta step up the language and conditioning big time. I'd nail him to the AHL for the year if he comes to camp anything but TOTALLY prepared.

Sorry this is lame reasoning. French is taught everywhere...i mean does every good ole boy learn it?

No.

 

[iCanada]

I still do not get how a kid who had NHL written all over him for probably 1-2 years before his draft doesn't, in Finland where English is taught everywhere, get at least a working knowledge of English going for himself. This kid was poorly prepared and I question his dedication frankly if he didn't learn the language. Perhaps this is why he "shockingly" didn't go 3rd overall??

He's gotta step up the language and conditioning big time. I'd nail him to the AHL for the year if he comes to camp anything but TOTALLY prepared.

Hard to fault him for conditioning... he had a broken leg for christ sake.

 

[Bangers]

I still do not get how a kid who had NHL written all over him for probably 1-2 years before his draft doesn't, in Finland where English is taught everywhere, get at least a working knowledge of English going for himself. This kid was poorly prepared and I question his dedication frankly if he didn't learn the language. Perhaps this is why he "shockingly" didn't go 3rd overall??

He's gotta step up the language and conditioning big time. I'd nail him to the AHL for the year if he comes to camp anything but TOTALLY prepared.

Finnish isn't like Swedish/Norwegian - it's really different from English (most Swedes don't understand it either). Plus, Pulju seems to be the Finnish equivalent of a hillbilly.

Look at Tikkanen. He spent years in Edmonton, and when I met him in Asia, I couldn't understand a bloody word he said.

 

[Soundwave]

Sorry this is lame reasoning. French is taught everywhere...i mean does every good ole boy learn it?

No.

If I was looking at a career that was going to pay me potentially millions of dollars but it meant I was going to be in a foreign country where everyone spoke a different language and my job performance could be impacted by that ... I probably would take an hour or two a day to learn said language.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

If I was looking at a career that was going to pay me potentially millions of dollars but it meant I was going to be in a foreign country where everyone spoke a different language and my job performance could be impacted by that ... I probably would take an hour or two a day to learn said language.

Is he any worse at speaking English than Yak was as an 18 year old who played 2 years in the OHL? Some people pick certain things up easier than others. Look at guys like Lidstrom and Landeskog, they speak English exceptionally well. Does that mean that Larsson is lazy for not speaking the language as well as they do? Look at Lander who was a hard working type, his English was always sub par.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

If I was looking at a career that was going to pay me potentially millions of dollars but it meant I was going to be in a foreign country where everyone spoke a different language and my job performance could be impacted by that ... I probably would take an hour or two a day to learn said language.

I've been living in Montreal for 11 years. Married a local.

Despite a decade of lessons and FSL in high school (grade 7-12) I speak french like a 4 year old. (My 3rd language).

It's not easy.


But technology will remove the need very soon. I believe an earpiece will realtime translate. Or some kind of wearable glasses will give us realtime subtitles.

 

[Smartguy]

Had one of best years in AHL for an 18 year olds in AHL

People seem to forget this, he had a great year in a professional league at 18, he was one of the youngest players drafter in 2016. He will be fine, wouldn't be surprised at all if, like drai, were talking about him as one of the top players on the team a year from now.

 

[atowalters]

I still do not get how a kid who had NHL written all over him for probably 1-2 years before his draft doesn't, in Finland where English is taught everywhere, get at least a working knowledge of English going for himself. This kid was poorly prepared and I question his dedication frankly if he didn't learn the language. Perhaps this is why he "shockingly" didn't go 3rd overall??

He's gotta step up the language and conditioning big time. I'd nail him to the AHL for the year if he comes to camp anything but TOTALLY prepared.

"Jesse's been having English lessons since January 2016. How do you think he's doing?"



Please....

Continue.

 

[Cloned]

"Jesse's been having English lessons since January 2016. How do you think he's doing?"



Please....

Continue.

To be fair, English is one of the hardest languages to learn past childhood. But on the other hand, he probably should have taken more English classes as a kid.

 

[McGhostbuster]

"Jesse's been having English lessons since January 2016. How do you think he's doing?"



Please....

Continue.

That video is from April 2016. So all of 4 months of English training.

I can tell you he's doing better at English than I did with 3 years of French in HS.

I'd be curious to hear an interview now. Probably will have to wait for late August or September.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

i don't care about his english as long as he can figure out how to survive in the locker room and on the ice.

"fast and up" is all that needs to be said anyway.

 

[Seachd]

I still do not get how a kid who had NHL written all over him for probably 1-2 years before his draft doesn't, in Finland where English is taught everywhere, get at least a working knowledge of English going for himself. This kid was poorly prepared and I question his dedication frankly if he didn't learn the language. Perhaps this is why he "shockingly" didn't go 3rd overall??

He's gotta step up the language and conditioning big time. I'd nail him to the AHL for the year if he comes to camp anything but TOTALLY prepared.

This is quite a silly and ignorant stance, to be honest. It's not like flipping a switch, and varies greatly from person to person. So it very likely has extremely little to do with preparation.

 

[McShogun99]

I doubt his English skills are the reason he didn't have a great 1st pro season. Hockey is hockey no matter where you're from. It was more likely due to recovering from knee surgery and getting used to the NA ice surface. All he needs to do is keep his stick down and always give the puck to Mcdavid in the neutral zone and he'll have a fine career.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I still do not get how a kid who had NHL written all over him for probably 1-2 years before his draft doesn't, in Finland where English is taught everywhere, get at least a working knowledge of English going for himself. This kid was poorly prepared and I question his dedication frankly if he didn't learn the language. Perhaps this is why he "shockingly" didn't go 3rd overall??

He's gotta step up the language and conditioning big time. I'd nail him to the AHL for the year if he comes to camp anything but TOTALLY prepared.

Amazingly simple minded post on many levels. Failure to appreciate cultural differences, that a teenager should easily pick up one of the world's most difficult languages and struggling to do so represents a lack of commitment, and finally that he should be punished for this supposed 'lack of dedication.'

 

[dd91]

To be fair, English is one of the hardest languages to learn past childhood. But on the other hand, he probably should have taken more English classes as a kid.

As someone who is not a native English speaker and who has studied 5 languages I completely disagree. English grammar is quite easy. Want to see something truly difficult? Check out Hungarian or Finnish. I agree with those who say he should have started learning it at an earlier age. Especially if he ever actually dreamed of playing in the NHL as a kid.

I love Pulju as a player and really want him to succeed with us but I can see why some question his dedication.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

As someone who is not a native English speaker and who has studied 5 languages I completely disagree. English grammar is quite easy. Want to see something truly difficult? Check out Hungarian or Finnish. I agree with those who say he should have started learning it at an earlier age. Especially if he ever actually dreamed of playing in the NHL as a kid.

I love Pulju as a player and really want him to succeed with us but I can see why some question his dedication.

Because what's the value in it? If he were 25 and still struggling, that would be understandable, but what value is there in ****ting on a teenager for struggling with a life change as big as this.

 

[Cloned]

As someone who is not a native English speaker and who has studied 5 languages I completely disagree. English grammar is quite easy. Want to see something truly difficult? Check out Hungarian or Finnish. I agree with those who say he should have started learning it at an earlier age. Especially if he ever actually dreamed of playing in the NHL as a kid.

I love Pulju as a player and really want him to succeed with us but I can see why some question his dedication.

Obviously there's a subjective element to learning, but English is generally acknowledged as a harder language to learn because of the peculiarities and exceptions found in modern English.

 

[Chet Manley]

Obviously there's a subjective element to learning, but English is generally acknowledged as a harder language to learn because of the peculiarities and exceptions found in modern English.

Perhaps the difficulty varies depending on the isolation of the learner's native language? Most Germans I've met add other Euro languages seemingly with ease. The "I speak 5 languages" people. Finnish and Icelandic never get mentioned in those conversations.

I'm not a fan of people equating a lack of foreign language skills to being lazy. It's not an equally difficult task for everyone. (that applies to most things in life)

 

[CanadianSuperPromise]

I've been living in Montreal for 11 years. Married a local.

Despite a decade of lessons and FSL in high school (grade 7-12) I speak french like a 4 year old. (My 3rd language).

It's not easy.


But technology will remove the need very soon. I believe an earpiece will realtime translate. Or some kind of wearable glasses will give us realtime subtitles.

This post is separate from this Puljujarvi stuff (no idea where this thread is going) but:

Learning French really isn't that difficult.

Considering Lessons + french-speaking wife + daily French immersion over 11 years... yeah you should be able speak decent French by now if you wanted to.

 

[shoop]

Obviously there's a subjective element to learning, but English is generally acknowledged as a harder language to learn because of the peculiarities and exceptions found in modern English.

In depends what language background you are coming from. French to English is a relatively easy transition.

I think there are some positives to watching that interview. Pulju clearly understood all the questions which is a very important thing, i.e. he shouldn't need a translator. He is willing to try and speak English which is very important.

It's hard to explain, but he has a particular learning style I have seen before. People who just throw out random phrases but can get their point across. As he spends more time in North America he will get better at English. Watching tv/movies in English. Spending time with the guys.

I wouldn't be shocked if the first English interview we see with Pulju at training camp his English has come along a fair amount since that video.

 

[Ippenator]

I have been criticising Pulju's development during past season pretty much, but at least I have to admit that his production in the AHL was definitely not bad for an 18 year old. But still I see as his bigger problem his pretty average hockey IQ, especially when he is without the puck. I also don't like his general sloppiness with his puck control and also how much problems he has often had with finishing accurately when he is pressured or in tight space. Also his skating looked somehow seriously regressed from the previous season in FEL.

But I have been pretty much trying to look at his situation from different angles and understand why he really looked to me less impressive than how he was in 2015-2016 season, and I think that there could after all be the possibility that he has been guilty of over training himself and made him become completely overexhausted during this season. He is in fact well known for being an absolute training nut and he was in fact saying in at least one interview that he might have been training after all too much and too hard.

I am honestly very worried for him being managed by his agent Sami Mettovaara, as it seems that Pulju has not been guided really at all well under his guidance. His English training was definitely not planned well enough and early enough, and what I know so far about his training (quality, not quantity), I have to say that this kid would seriously need to get some real good professionals to guide him to the right quality of training and preparing for his professional hockey career. Jesse is that much of a nature's child that I don't believe that he will be able to make enough of the right choices if he doesn't get some real good professional advice. At least at this phase of his career.

 

[SPIRIT]

I doubt his English skills are the reason he didn't have a great 1st pro season. Hockey is hockey no matter where you're from. It was more likely due to recovering from knee surgery and getting used to the NA ice surface. All he needs to do is keep his stick down and always give the puck to Mcdavid in the neutral zone and he'll have a fine career.

Bah. This is a really reductive opinion. Hockey is a human sport; it's not that simple. His ability to comprehend language on the ice might not be of critical importance, but in terms of taking care of yourself and building confidence it can be a tremendous challenge. Look at his body language in the first English interview. That's hard to do! He looks extremely awkward; it takes courage, putting yourself way out there.

His last year wasn't blow-you-away, no, but I'm willing to give him a break on account of the massive difficulty integrating. He started from zero; Laine, his comparable, did not.