Puustinen embracing change with the Eagles

By Carlynn Claypool

Apr 7, 2026

Colorado Eagles forward Valtteri Puustinen is no stranger to change.
 
Five years ago, Puustinen moved from his home country of Finland to the United States to play for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Now, a midseason trade has brought him to Colorado to join the Eagles. 
 
Puustinen joined the team during its west coast road trip in January, a setting he said made the transition easier. 

“This made it a little bit easier because we are together all the time on the road. If I come into a homestand, you go only to practice or game and then everybody goes home, so I think this is easier,” Puustinen said. “Everybody here has created a really, really welcoming feeling for me. T.J. and Megna texted me when they knew I was coming, and I really appreciate that. I’m feeling really welcome.”

Puustinen didn’t really know anyone in Colorado before the trade, and the closest connection he had was Eagles forward Alex Barré-Boulet since they played in the same division.

Despite not really having any connections, Puustinen has felt very welcome in the locker room.

“Now I have 30 new friends,” Puustinen said.

Even with a strong start statistically (14 points in 23 games), Puustinen believes his best hockey is still ahead of him as he continues adjusting to the Eagles’ system.

Puustinen doesn’t have to adjust to a new rink size after coming from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but he is still learning the Eagles’ system.

“Hockey here, we play a little bit of a different game than we played in Wilkes-Barre,” Puustinen said. “I want to take a step every day, every practice and every game.”

In his five years living in North America, Puustinen has gone from only being able to say “hi” and “morning” to being able to hold a conversation, something that is now more important than ever. 

The Penguins had other Finnish players on the roster which Puustinen could talk to in his native tongue and ask questions if he was having a hard time understanding, but the Eagles have no other Finnish speakers in the locker room forcing Puustinen to continue improving his English.

“Now it’s great because I’m the only Finnish guy here, so I need to talk English every day. If I can’t say something, or if I am not understanding something, I can’t ask my teammates what he said or what he wanted or what I’ve got to say,” Puustinen said. “I need a translator or something if I want to ask…, so this is good for me.”

Puustinen never focused on learning English when he was in Finland because he thought he would play for the Liiga, the Finnish Elite League, for his entire career. 

After his first season in Liiga, when he helped his team win the championship, Puustinen was drafted 203rd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Two years later, he made the move to the United States.

“I said every time ‘I want to play hockey,’ and my family said ‘if you want to play hockey, maybe you could work on English.’ And I say ‘I don’t need it because I play hockey,’” Puustinen said, “but that day I moved to Pittsburgh, I say ‘I need English now.’”

Not only did Puustinen have to learn English, but he had to adapt to a different style of hockey with smaller rinks and different systems.

Puustinen said the biggest difference between here and Finland is the speed of everything caused by the smaller rink size. 

“Here everything happens a little bit faster, but I like that because you’re not thinking too much about your next move on the ice and your skills are a little bit more,” Puustinen said. “I think that is the biggest difference from Finland. This is my fifth year here and I like to play here.” 

Before coming to Colorado, Puustinen made his NHL debut with the Penguins where he had 24 points in 66 games. 

He said learning from high-caliber players in the NHL was a highlight of his time with the team and he is hoping to prove he can play with the Colorado Avalanche as well.

Puustinen has already adjusted to new countries, new languages and new teams. Now, his focus is helping the Eagles make a long playoff run while continuing to chase his NHL dream.

“I think every little guy who starts hockey wants to play in the NHL, and it was my dream to play there,” Puustinen said. “There are so many big players in the league in Pittsburgh, and so many good players here, too. So, I am excited to play here.”