Oula Palve

July 2019 – If Palve were in a deck of cards, he would be a wild card. Continuing a Penguin tradition of adding obscure European free agents, the late bloomer signed a one-year, two-way, entry-level contract in April. Centering sniping 2019 second-overall NHL draft pick Kaapo Kakko, the skilled 27-year-old playmaker posted 16 goals and 35 assists in 53 games to lead TPS Turku in Finland’s top hockey league. Besides leading his team with 51 points, he belied his 6-0, 176-pound build with 79 penalty minutes. In fact, he totaled 144 PIMs during the past two Liiga campaigns and was among the league’s top-10 scorers the past two seasons. In the past two playoffs, he amassed 16 points in 16 appearances. A slick stickhandler and passer yet only an average skater, Palve must prove he can handle the pace and the physicality of the North
American pro game. His defensive conscience is an asset.

As a European free agent, he’s more likely to be like Vlad Krutov than Artemi Panarin, but you never really know how Europeans will perform until they come over. Palve was sent to the AHL in Pittsburgh’s second wave of cuts from its 2019 training camp, so he’ll have to learn the North American ropes with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and work his way up from there. Mark Allan