New York Islanders select Jesse Pulkkinen with No. 54 overall pick in 2024 NHL Draft

The New York Islanders have selected defenseman Jesse Pulkkinen with the No. 54 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

The Laukaa, Finland product spent the majority of his 2023-24 season with the JYP in Liiga, where he had two goals and six assists for eight points in 29 games played. He also spent six games on loan with KeuPa HT in the second-tier Mestis league, where he had 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points.

Pulkkinen also spent 18 games with JYP’s U20 team in U20 SM-sarja, where had 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points. He got some playoff action with the team as well, getting 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points in 7 games.

Pulkkinen also got into some international hockey with Finland, with 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points in 12 games across multiple tournaments. That includes his time with the Finnish U20 team at the World Juniors, where he had 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points in 7 games.

Daily Faceoff’s own prospect expert, Steven Ellis, projected Pulkkinen to go 42nd overall in his Top 120 Draft Rankings. Ellis had this to say about him in his prospect rankings:

“The top overage player in the draft this year, Pulkkinen played around 18 minutes a night with JYP, which isn’t always easy for a 19-year-old,” Ellis said. “Against U-20 kids, he played more than 25 minutes most nights, including a whopping 31:29 on March 17. Nothing tops his 38:09 in Mestis play back in November, though. Pulkkinen can handle significant pressure well and has the offensive and physical chops to battle older, stronger competition. Don’t be surprised if a team reaches for him late in the first.”