Jesse Pulkkinen

August 2024 – Islanders second-round pick, Pulkkinen, was set to attend the team’s training camp. However, Pulkkinen has recently suffered a lower-body injury that may keep him from participating at all. If he is not healthy in time for training camp, his focus will shift to solidifying himself as a full-time professional in the upcoming season in Finland for JYP. Pulkkinen will be fun to keep an eye on this year and should provide some excitement for Islanders fans. The 6-foot-6 defenseman brings a lot of potential upside, but will need to recover fully from this injury to maximize his development this year. William Langstaff

June 2024 – Pulkkinen was drafted 54th overall to the NY Islanders. Pat Quinn

February 2024 – Pulkkinen has impressed us more and more with each passing viewing, and we wouldn’t rank a D+1 this high if that weren’t the case. His style of play is as unique as his development trajectory; the hulking left-handed defenseman moves around the ice with shocking fluidity, which his handling skill can match. He’s composed under pressure – almost to a fault, as he can overestimate his ability to shield possession at times – and beyond comfortable with the puck on his stick. He has shown a level of offensive dare at both the WJC and in Liiga that complements his toolkit and creativity, and facilitates a 2nd pairing and PP2 projection. He uses his mobility and reach to match footwork when defending the rush, maintaining an increasingly consistent tight gap, and being able to close it aggressively and quickly.

We see upside with Pulkkinen in all three zones, but he shines brightest with the puck on his stick. To maintain a spot this high on our board, Pulkkinen will need to continue to balance on the line between actively fine-tuning his habits and retaining his offensive aggressiveness, which he has done very well so far this season. Sebastian High