The Pittsburgh Penguins had a busy offseason, but one piece of business they squared away early involved Valtteri Puustinen.
It took management about 15 minutes to address him.
Shortly after the finale of the Penguins’ 2023-24 campaign — a 5-4 road loss to the New York Islanders on April 17 — president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas pulled Puustinen aside into a spare storage space in the visiting dressing room of UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., and told him he was being sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to finish out the season at the American Hockey League level. The intent of that transaction was to get Puustinen some extra playing time to bolster his development.
And less than a month later, on May 10, Puustinen, a pending unrestricted free agent, was re-signed to a two-year contract extension.
“I wanted to come back,” Puustinen said Saturday in Cranberry. “I’m very, very happy with (a) new two-year contract. But I want to play better in all games.”
Breaking through as a full-time NHLer last season, the 25-year-old appeared in 52 games and posted 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) while averaging 11 minutes, 45 seconds of ice time per contest while primarily inhabiting roles on the second or third lines.
A skilled waterbug of a winger, Puustinen has been a steady 20-goal threat with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but he hasn’t found a way to consistently carry that level of production over to the NHL level.
“He’s a guy that has good offensive instincts,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s shown ability to score in the (American Hockey League). That’s the next step for him: He has to score some goals in the (NHL). He had a real solid (52) games for us last year. He’s proven that he’s capable of being an NHL player. He needs to take the next step. He’s got to bring some finish. He’s got to bring some offensive influence on the line that he’s on.
“At the same time, he’s got to be able to have some conscientious play away from the puck. (Puustinen) has grown a lot in that aspect of it. … His play away from the puck has gotten better and better every year that he’s been here. He’s picked up a step footspeed-wise with every year that he’s been here.”
Being here in his third NHL training camp feels different for Puustinen now that he has some sustained service time in this league.
“This camp, a little bit different because maybe I trust myself a little bit more,” he said. “I played last year, (52) games. And I know I can play here now. But I am so hungry this year. I want to play all games here and play better in helping the team.”
That increased comfort on the ice coexists with increased comfort of life in North America for the Finn. Once extremely shy when it came to speaking in English with reporters, he is far more confident and proficient in conversing through a second language.
In some fashion, he had no choice.
“My English is so much better in the last year because there is not (many) Finnish guys (on the Penguins’ roster),” Puustinen said. “But (with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton), we have maybe three (to) six Finnish guys, and we talk (in) Finnish so much. Last year, it’s me and (forward) Jesse (Puljujarvi) here. In the locker room, we don’t talk Finnish. If we go to eat or something, of course, we talk Finnish. But guys (here) talk to me so much (in English). My English is better day to day.”
That growth is clear to teammates who have known him since his first days on this continent in 2021.
“Super comfortable,” said forward Drew O’Connor, who skated with Puustinen in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. “He’s an awesome guy to be around. His game has come so far. You could see right away how skilled he is. His biggest thing is how well he thinks the game. Just playing on a line with him, you have that instant chemistry with a guy like him because how well he thinks the game.
“Now that he’s getting better with English and everything, it’s going to help him even more. It’s been awesome to see his progress.”
Puustinen is confident he will continue that progression.
“I can try better (in everything),” Puustinen said. “I have now a good feeling.”
Note: The Penguins had a scheduled day off Sunday.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.