Jesse Pulkkinen

Giant second year eligible left defender who in late August who immersed to the hockey world in the Five Nations tournament in Sweden where he has an extremely good showing in the top pairing of the Finnish National Team. He was finally promoted to Mestis from the Finnish junior league He moves well for his size, but at this juncture could hardly be called quick or fast afoot. Has decent hands and shows poise handling the puck. He is good in transition in his passes or carrying the puck out.  He has very success when he turns his back to defenders so they cannot get it away from them. Has good offensive instincts & skills and a big time shot. He still makes plenty of mistakes in the defensive zone, and his positioning g and awareness need work. Part of the issue is he played forward until his early and teens, and only in his third year as defenseman and still needs work mastering the nuances of the position. Raw, but there is a huge upside.

                                                                     --Bill Płaczek--