Jesse Puljujarvi is a man on a mission going into 2018/19. In an interview with Ilta-Sanomat, Pulju said that he’s not even thinking about the AHL and that the NHL is his place now. He also said his first two seasons went well, the second one clearly the better of the two, but that his final goal was to take his place alongside Connor McDavid.
Damn the Oilers if they send him to the AHL. If they can give Milan Lucic all that time alongside McDavid to try and break out of that slump last year, they can also give some TOI to Jesse.
That said, maybe it’s not the coaches who need to be convinced that Pulju deserves to play beside McDavid or Draisaitl… Maybe it’s the players themselves.
I like this determined attitude by Jesse. He sounds like he’s really training his bag off this summer in order to come into camp flying fearlessly.
Adding to those sentiments, Puljujarvi believes that if he plays well and keeps his compete level high, it’s possible to hit 20 minutes a game and if he’s getting that kind of TOI, that means he’s playing with either Leon or Connor and not only 5v5. It also means he’s producing.
The article mentions a few other things like:
- He’s been working on his shot and the hardest it’s been registered up in Karpat is 158 km! (link here but you’ve got to click to the last slide to see the shots)
- A charity match vs. Ilkka Mikkola All-Stars coming up where he’ll suit up with many of the same players that participated in the Jesse/Ville Charity match from a couple of weeks ago.
- He trains five days a week at new development center using the Karpat rink and usually goes home to Tornio for the weekends to eat “mommy’s meatballs”.
- Speaking of Jesse’s mom, Tuula Erkkilä, was a top skier for Finland and participated in an international cross-country skiing event in Calgary prior to the 1988 Winter Olympics.
- Puljujarvi feels like his English could be better (ask anybody who’s native language isn’t English and they’ll tell you the same thing) and when he was in Canada he studied every day but he’s been too busy training in Finland to concentrate on it.
I love my Finnish sources. They shower me with Pulju updates all the time! Here are some highlights from another one:
- Jesse was training with former Finland ‘A’ national coach Raimo Summanen and the national team’s skating coach, Janne Hanninen before but now he’s training in Northern Finland.
I assume this means he’s left those coaches? I could have the translation wrong though.
- Pulju is training alongside Pekka Rinne (NSH), Sebastian Aho (CAR), Markus Nutivaara (CLB), Miikka Salomaki (NSH), Janne Kuokkanen (CAR), and Saku Maenalanen (CAR).
Some talented players to be training alongside no doubt.
I’ve finally found out what kind of stick Jesse has converted to this summer! Feast your eyes on this unreleased beauty!
It looks like Pulju has swapped his old Warrior twig for a Bauer one. It wasn’t easy to find information on the new stick but I did. So for all you gearheads out there, here’s what I managed to dig up from Hockey World Blog.
Sticking with its rich tradition, the Bauer Supreme 2S Pro stick will be constructed using monocomp technology. This is a molding process which eliminates the fusion point of the stick and blade, leading to a true one-piece stick design. The shaft will also continue to use TeXtreme carbon fiber, but will now include a new DuraFlex resin system which will help lead to a stronger and more durable shaft.
The Bauer Supreme 2S Pro stick is designed with the same Maximum Power Kick flex profile that we’re now familiar with on the Supreme line. The MPK flex profile leads to a 14% more energy stored during a shot while 20% more power is unloaded due to the stiffer and thicker lower third of the shaft and more flexible upper handle. The shaft also includes an extended transfer zone to help unleash big and heavy shots quicker and more efficiently. On wrist shots, you’ll have a 4% faster recoil than the previous generation, while slapshots will feature a 5% faster recoil.
Into the blade, the Bauer Supreme 2S Pro stick will continue to feature RenewCore, which is a pressurized liquid state gel that begins to fill in cracks in the blade to increase durability. The gel also helps to improve puck feel and shot power. Bauer has also upgraded the blade with Advanced Carbon Layering, which involves optimizing the fiber placement in order to improve durability and the strength to weight ratio. An eLASTech resin is used in the blade as well, leading to improved durability, and its finalized on the outside with a TeXtreme blade wrap.
The Bauer Supreme 2S Pro stick will weigh in at about 415 grams for a senior model. This is about a 5-gram reduction over the 1S, and is the result of some of the latest and greatest technologies Bauer has included in the refreshed 2S Pro stick.
I hope the new rifle, the new training regime, and the improved self-confidence and determination pay massive dividends for Pulju this season. He sounds like a man on a mission to prove pundits like John Shannon, Bob Stauffer, and Mark Spector wrong and I’ll be right there supporting him!
