Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi has joined Finland’s A national team roster for the upcoming Euro Hockey Tour (EHT) tournament in Czechia in May.
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association announced Puljujarvi’s addition via a release on Saturday.
This tournament between Czechia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland serves as something of a “preseason” event for those countries in the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship tournament, also held in Czechia during May.
Players in the EHT tournament can be selected for their country’s roster for the IIHF World Championship tournament.
The EHT tournament is scheduled to be held May 2-5 while the IIHF World Championship tournament is slated for May 10-26.
After a lengthy rehabilitation process following surgery on both hips in June, Puljujarvi went unsigned until February when the Penguins brought him in on a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $800,000. Primarily stationed among the team’s bottom-six forwards, Puljujarvi appeared in 22 NHL games and scored four points (three goals, one assist) while averaging 9:11 of ice time.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at [email protected].