International Hockey Roundtable
Report: NHL Teams Interested In Finnish D-Man Valtteri Pulli
Coachella Valley forward Andrew Poturalski (22) takes a shot as San Jose defenseman Valtteri Pulli (77) defends during an AHL game on April 4, 2024. © Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK According to Finnish media outlet MTV, multiple NHL teams are interested in the services of 23-year-old Finnish defenseman Valtteri Pulli, who currently plays in Switzerland for HC Lugano.
Pulli played last season for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and two games this season before the San Jose Sharks released him from his contract on Dec. 11, apparently upon the player’s request. He then signed in Lugano three days later.
His signing in Lugano came the day following Justin Schultz’s retirement announcement, which opened up a spot on the Lugano defense and one of the club’s import spots on its roster.
Playing under coach Uwe Krupp, Pulli has a goal and three assists in 16 National League games this season, so it’s apparently not offense that scouts see in the 6-foot-6, 209-pound rearguard.
The coaching staff of the Finnish national team was apparently also impressed enough in him to invite him to play in the most recent Euro Hockey Tour stop in Sweden, where Pulli played two games and scored a goal.
A native of Turku, Finland, Pulli turned pro with the local TPS club, where he played 102 Liiga regular-season and playoff games between 2020 and 2023, scoring four goals and adding 17 assists and 22 penalty minutes.
Never drafted by an NHL club, Pulli signed with San Jose as a free agent in the summer of 2023. Last season, he played 59 games in the AHL, scoring three goals and adding seven assists and 20 penalty minutes. This season, he was again assigned to the Barracuda but played in only two AHL games in October.
Pulli will apparently finish this season in Lugano, who sit 12th in the 14-team National League and trail the final post-season spot by four points with three regular-season games left.