Valtteri Puustinen
Valtteri Puustinen (born 4 June 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect under contract to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He made his NHL debut in 2022.
| Valtteri Puustinen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Puustinen in 2018 | |||
| Born |
4 June 1999 Kuopio, Finland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Pittsburgh Penguins WBS Penguins (AHL) HPK | ||
| National team |
 Finland | ||
| NHL Draft |
203rd overall, 2019 Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
| Playing career | 2018–present | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Finland | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2021 Latvia | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2019 Canada | |
Playing career
Puustinen played as a youth within the HPK organization of the Finnish Liiga.[1] He was drafted 203rd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Puustinen made his Liiga debut for HPK during the 2018–19 Liiga season. He played 47 regular season games and scored 10 goals.[2]
In the 2020–21 season with HPK, Puustinen recorded 21 goals and 20 assists for 41 points in 51 games. His 21 goals led all HPK skaters and were tied for eighth in the league. He was one of just four skaters in Liiga to record 20 or more goals and assists.
On 6 May 2021, Puustinen was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins to a two-year, entry-level contract.[3] After scoring 17 goals and assists each with the Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Puustinen was called up by the Penguins and played his first National Hockey League (NHL) game on 11 March 2022 against the Vegas Golden Knights. He scored his first NHL point that night, a secondary assist on Jeff Carter's goal, as the Penguins won 5–2.[4] On 20 June 2023, he was re-signed to a one-year, two-way contract by Pittsburgh.[5]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2017–18 | HPK | Jr. A | 52 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | HPK | Jr. A | 11 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | HPK | Liiga | 47 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20 | HPK | Liiga | 54 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HPK | Liiga | 51 | 21 | 20 | 41 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 73 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 72 | 24 | 35 | 59 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Liiga totals | 152 | 48 | 46 | 94 | 50 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||||
| NHL totals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
References
- "Valtteri Puustinen player profile" (in Finnish). jatkoaika.com. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- "Valtteri Puustinen player profile". Liiga. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- "Penguin sign Valterri Puustinen to a two-year, entry-level contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- Crosby, Wes (11 March 2022). "Crosby streak at eight after Penguins defeat Golden Knights". NHL.com. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- "Penguins Re-Sign Forward Valtteri Puustinen to a One-Year Contract". NHL.com. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database