Valtteri Puustinen (born 4 June 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a winger for Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He made his National Hockey League debut in 2022 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Playing career
Puustinen played as a youth within the HPK organization of the Finnish Liiga. He was drafted 203rd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2019 NHL entry draft.
Puustinen made his Liiga debut for HPK during the 2018–19 Liiga season. He played 47 regular-season games and scored 10 goals.
In the 2020–21 season with HPK, Puustinen recorded 21 goals and 20 assists for 41 points in 51 games. His 21 goals led all HPK skaters and were tied for eighth in the league. He was one of just four skaters in Liiga to record 20 or more goals and assists.
On 6 May 2021, Puustinen was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins to a two-year, entry-level contract. After scoring 17 goals and assists each with the Penguins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Puustinen was called up by the Penguins and played his first National Hockey League (NHL) game on 11 March 2022 against the Vegas Golden Knights. He scored his first NHL point that night, a secondary assist on Jeff Carter's goal, as the Penguins won 5–2. On 20 June 2023, he was re-signed to a one-year, two-way contract by Pittsburgh.
During the 2023–24 season, on 27 December 2023, Puustinen scored his first NHL goal in a 7–0 victory over the New York Islanders.
Puustinen was traded by the Penguins to the Colorado Avalanche during the season on 20 January 2026, in exchange for Ilya Solovyov. Immediately reassigned to affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, Puustinen played out the remainder of the season in the AHL, posting 14 points through 24 regular season games and limited to 6 games in the post-season for 2 points.
As a pending restricted free agent with the Avalanche, Puustinen opted to return to Europe after securing a two-year contract with Swedish top-tier club, Luleå HF, on 10 June 2026.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2017–18 HPK Jr. A 52 15 19 34 14 5 1 3 4 4 2018–19 HPK Jr. A 11 3 6 9 6 — — — — — 2018–19 HPK Liiga 47 10 3 13 14 16 2 3 5 4 2019–20 HPK Liiga 54 17 23 40 22 — — — — — 2020–21 HPK Liiga 51 21 20 41 14 — — — — — 2021–22 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 73 20 22 42 14 6 0 3 3 0 2021–22 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2022–23 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 72 24 35 59 22 — — — — — 2023–24 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 24 5 8 13 4 2 1 2 3 2 2023–24 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 52 5 15 20 6 — — — — — 2024–25 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 13 2 1 3 4 — — — — — 2024–25 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 48 16 19 35 6 2 0 0 0 0 2025–26 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 35 7 19 26 6 — — — — — 2025–26 Colorado Eagles AHL 24 5 9 14 10 6 1 1 2 4Liiga totals 152 48 46 94 50 16 2 3 5 4NHL totals 66 7 17 24 10 — — — — —
International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2019 Finland WJC 6 0 3 3 4 2021 Finland WC 2 0 0 0 0 2024 Finland WC 8th 7 1 1 2 2Junior totals 6 0 3 3 4Senior totals 9 1 1 2 2
References
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