Juuso Pärssinen

May 2023 – Pärssinen had a stronger rookie season than most fans could’ve imagined. In 45 games, he potted six goals along with 25 points. Unfortunately, an injury held him out from the end of February until the last three games of the season, which definitely took away some of the momentum he had built till that point. Pärssinen still has one year remaining on his entry-level contract before he becomes a restricted free agent, and his low cap hit provides immense value for the Predators. When everyone is healthy, his role on the team is a bit unknown, especially after the emergence of Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista, but Pärssinen should have no issue locking down a spot in the bottom-six from opening night. Curtis Rines

November 2022 – No one could have asked for a better start to an NHL career for Pärssinen. The 21-year-old has been playing on the top line in between Filip Forsberg and Mikael Granlund and has produced three goals and four points through his first three career games. His production will slow down at one point or another, but it is a positive sign for the Predators to see one of their prospects step in and contribute immediately. Even if he slides down the lineup a bit, do not be surprised to see him stick with the Predators long-term. Curtis Rines

November 2022 – Pärssinen has been called up to the Nashville Predators for the first time in his career. The Finnish center has two goals and nine points through ten AHL contests to start the season. Curtis Rines

June 2022 – Pärssinen officially made the move to North America just in time to join Milwaukee for their playoff run. Although he didn’t wow anyone with his point totals (three points in nine games), head coach Karl Taylor seemed to trust him since he was in the lineup the entire playoff run. His NHL ETA is hard to predict, considering he could slide into a bottom-six role at any time and realistically not look out of place. Still, the Predators organization will want to give him time to adjust to the North American pace of play. The possibility is real that Pärssinen sees NHL action by the end of this season, but the realistic outlook points to 2023/24 at minimum. Curtis Rines

April 2022 – In his second full-time season with TPS in Liiga, Pärssinen continued his strong form from last season without skipping a beat. The 6’2” Finnish center finished the regular season with nine goals and 32 points in 41 games. He has continued his point pace into the post-season with three goals and 11 points in 14 games. Pärssinen still projects as a bottom-six forward; however, it is nice to see a bit of a scoring touch in his game already. The defensive side of his game will have to develop a bit more. On the other hand, he has shown a solid offensive game at both even-strength and on-the-man advantage. It is unclear whether or not he will come over to North America next season or remain in Finland for one more season but he is one of the Predators’ more intriguing prospects to keep an eye on. Curtis Rines

February 2020 – Pärssinen has experienced continued success since his contributions to Team Finland’s bronze medal finish at the World Junior Championships. He has elevated his game to another level and is approaching a point per game pace in the SM-liiga with five goals and 19 assists through 31 games. The 19-year old is establishing himself as a reliable point producer, which compliments his already refined defensive game. If Pärssinen is available in your keeper league, he may be worth following and tucking away for safekeeping. Nicholas Kawka

December 2020 – Pärssinen has been quite the surprise early on this season in the SM-Liiga. Generally known as a strong two-way pivot, Pärssinen has turned things up offensively with 12 points through 18 games, equaling his totals after 31 games last season. He is an intelligent player that processes the game at a high rate and while his physical abilities are not exceptional, his decision-making skills are at a high level. His success in 2021 has also earned him a spot on the Finnish World Junior Championship roster. Nicholas Kawka

March 2020 – In 31 games playing with TPS Turku, Pärssinen has posted 12 points and only fired 41 shots on goal, which speaks to how dedicated he is defensively.  He is staying true to his bread and butter two-way play and is establishing himself as a dependable player at the next level. In time, and with more comfort with the pace of play, his offensive totals will begin to climb. Nicholas Kawka

December 2019 – Pärssinen picked up where he left off with the TPS U20 squad last season.  After steady production last season, he has grown his game and is over a point per game production.  He continues to be part of the leadership group in 2019-20 as an assistant captain and has shown to be a reliable overall player.  While being left off the 2020 World Junior team, Pärssinen has recently been called up to TPS in the Liiga. He has yet to record a point in his early time with the pro club, but with his maturity and poise, he will eventually find a way to contribute on the scoresheet. Nicholas Kawka

October 2019 – With a point a game production (seven goals and seven assists in 14 games) on his Finnish TPS U20 team, Pärssinen is making the move to the pro ranks and playing for TPS in the Liiga.  The 2019 draftee served as an assistant captain on the U20 squad, so his leadership intangibles should help in his transition. – Nicholas Kawka

June 2019 – Pärssinen has been drafted 210^th overall by the Predators.  Jokke Nevalainen

March 2019 – Pärssinen spent most of his draft season in Jr. A SM-liiga which is the top junior league in Finland. While there, he wore an ‘A’ on his jersey and put up 13 goals and 22 points in 36 games. Those numbers are decent but not great. He also played seven games at the top level in the Liiga but received small minutes there. In addition, Pärssinen played 16 games with Finland’s U18 team in different tournaments and put up eight goals and 13 points in those games. He often had a letter on his chest with Team Finland as well which speaks to his leadership qualities. He is expected to represent Finland at the U18 Worlds.

Pärssinen is a natural center but has played some games at wing as well. He has great size (6-2, 183), and he plays an excellent two-way game. He competes really hard, and is also a good penalty-killer. He has some offensive skill but it appears to be limited which means he projects to become a bottom-six forward at the NHL level. He comes from a hockey family as his father Timo was a long-time professional player, and Juuso’s younger brother Jiri is an interesting prospect for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Juuso is likely going to be a mid-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.  Jokke Nevalainen