Jesse Puljujarvi was one of the most sought-after prospects coming into the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. After a strong season in Finland with Kärpät in the Liiga, he was expected to be drafted with one of the top three selections.
Instead, the first three picks came and went with Puljujarvi still on the board, allowing the Edmonton Oilers to select him if they wanted, and they did at fourth overall.
While it took a while for Puljujarvi to get his feet wet in the NHL and make a splash with the Oilers, he was someone the Oilers were excited to bring in. It seemed like he could be someone the team could build around with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as the other core pieces, and fans were excited for the future.
The 2016-17 season was a strong one for the Oilers. They made the playoffs and had a decent run into the second round before being eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks. Puljujarvi only played 28 games with the Oilers that season, scoring one goal and adding seven assists for eight points. He had spent most of the season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Bakersfield Condors, where he played 39 games, scoring 12 goals and adding 16 assists for 28 points. He seemed to adapt well to a different style of hockey in North America, so there were high hopes for the Finnish sharpshooter.
Puljujarvi only spent 10 games in the AHL during the 2017-18 season, scoring one goal and adding four assists for five points. He spent 65 games with the Oilers that season, scoring 12 goals and adding eight assists for 20 points, which seemed quite solid, and he was slowly improving the little things in his game.
His skating was improving, his shot was adapting to what it needed for the NHL level, and his hockey IQ was improving game by game. Unfortunately, his confidence seemed to take a step in the wrong direction in the 2018-19 season and he took a step back at both ends of the ice.
