High Praise for Juuso Parssinen's Debut with the Predators
Head Coach John Hynes and veteran teammate Ryan McDonagh remark on Parssinen's impressive NHL debut.
In a season where new names and faces have rotated in and out of the lineup frequently, there was an unusual amount of hope when the Nashville Predators announced they had recalled Juuso Pärssinen from Milwaukee Friday and would be playing him in Saturday night's home game against the New York Rangers. For folks who followed development and training camps this preseason, the call up was no real surprise. Pärssinen was a standout who left little doubt he would eventually see ice time in Nashville some time this season. His opportunity came this weekend, and the young Finnish forward made the most of his NHL debut.
Pärssinen scored his first goal on his first shot in the NHL with an impressive play to put the Predators on the board early.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=simDEsA9UXc[/embed]
It was an impressive play for any NHL player, but to see a young rookie execute that goal with that kind of speed, skating ability, strength, and shot placement in his first game may be just a taste of what Pärssinen brings to the table.
While the crowd at Bridgestone Arena was delighted by the play of Pärssinen Saturday night, Head Coach John Hynes was not surprised by his overall performance.
Both Hynes and Milwaukee Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor have been high on Pärssinen since he joined the organization after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL draft. Pärssinen played 127 games in the Finnish Liiga league before joining the Milwaukee Admirals full time this season.
While the call up for Pärssinen was not a huge surprise, the opportunity he was given in the lineup may have raised a few eyebrows. Pärssinen started on a line with Filip Forsberg and Mikael Granlund, and what is even more surprising is the fact that he played the entire game with those two top line players. Several new faces on the Predators' roster this season have started a game playing in the top six, but very few played well enough early for John Hynes to let them finish the game in the top six. Players like Kiefer Sherwood, Eeli Tolvanen, and Cody Glass were relegated to bottom six minutes partway through their games, but Pärssinen finished his debut with the same top line mates and on the ice for the critical final minutes in a one goal game.
Hynes explained why Pärssinen was a logical fit with Forsberg and Granlund Saturday night.
Ryan McDonagh commented on the emotional element it brings to the team to see a young player get their first start in the NHL and how important Juuso's first goal was for the team in the first period.
The Predators have seen other players jump in the line up and perform well initially only to be relegated to Milwaukee or to being healthy scratches after a handful of games. Pärssinen's amazing start to his NHL career Saturday night and his unflappable nature may mean he is a player to break this early season cycle. Predators fans will likely see much more of #75 in the coming games.
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