Through the first two days of training camp, things haven’t looked promising for Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi.
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And it wasn’t necessarily Puljujarvi’s fault, but rather the competition surrounding him at camp. Given the Penguins’ forward roster — there are six to eight spots in the bottom six with more than a dozen forwards realistically competing for those spots — it was going to be tough for anyone to make the final roster without making a big splash.
Well, Puljujarvi certainly did that on Friday and Saturday.
After scoring two goals in the Team 1-2 game on Friday, the Finn scored a hat trick in the Penguins’ preseason opener against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. The Penguins lost the game 7-3, and Puljujarvi literally provided the team’s entire offense.
But it wasn’t just his offence that stood out in this game. Before puck drop, head coach Mike Sullivan praised Puljujarvi’s efforts to return to camp stronger after his double hip surgery in the summer of 2023 sidelined him for much of last season.
And in the game, Puljujarvi used that strength to be physically and relentlessly engaged on the forecheck.
“He scored three goals, but I thought he did a lot of other things,” Sullivan said. “He just battled the puck and leaned on others. He was pretty good on the forecheck. I thought he was strong with the puck all night.”
Sullivan also alluded Saturday morning to the “competitive spirit” he expects from all his players: playing with high energy, resisting fatigue and displaying a will and determination to win. That’s something that could set some players apart at camp.
Puljujarvi is also well aware of the competition in training camp this season.
“It’s going to be really tough to make an NHL roster here. There’s so many good players,” Puljujarvi said. “I think those little things have to be really good and you have to be really disciplined at all times. And that’s how you earn a spot.”
A journeyman of sorts, Puljujarvi was selected fourth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2016. He spent parts of six seasons there — most of them hampered by injuries — before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2023 trade deadline.
Well recovered from his double hip surgery, Puljujarvi signed a PTO with the Penguins in January 2024 before signing a two-year deal in February. And he’s happy to have found his way to the Penguins organization.
“It’s a great organization,” he said. “They know how to win here. It’s really nice to be around the great players here and be a part of that. And I hope I can be a part of it long term.”
If he continues what he’s done so far in training camp, he might just get there.
