Valtteri
Puustinen
R · Defensive · Above average
- PAL
- 64
- WAR
- -0.1
- PTS
- 20
2023-24№ 469 / 608
Valtteri Puustinen stats, profile and latest news: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats and headlines.
Valtteri Puustinen: our analysis
2023-24 season: 52 GP, 5 G, 15 A, 20 PTS, +4 +/-, 11:45 TOI. WAR -0.1 (469th of 608) · PAL 64, above average.
In 2023-24, Valtteri Puustinen, 27, posts a PAL Rating of 64 out of 100 (above average), and his WAR of -0.1 ranks 469th among 608 regulars, in the bottom quarter.
His strengths: defense (86, among the best in the league) and possession (80, well above average). On the other hand, penalty kill (24, well below average) and shooting (24, well below average) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: EV defense (+1.0); his biggest cost: finishing (-3.4).
Valtteri Puustinen's story
Raised within HPK’s development system, Puustinen came through the Finnish club’s ranks before making his mark at the senior level. That steady climb in familiar surroundings shaped him into a forward known for finishing plays.
He broke into Liiga in 2018–19, appearing in 47 regular‑season games and scoring 10 goals. The 2020–21 campaign was his statistical breakthrough: 21 goals and 20 assists for 41 points in 51 games, leading HPK in goals and finishing tied for eighth in the league. That season he was one of only four skaters in Liiga to record at least 20 goals and 20 assists.
Pittsburgh selected him 203rd overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and on 6 May 2021 the Penguins signed him to a two‑year entry‑level deal. He spent time with Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, Wilkes‑Barre/Scranton, compiling 17 goals and 17 assists before being recalled. Puustinen made his NHL debut on 11 March 2022 against the Vegas Golden Knights and registered his first NHL point that night with a secondary assist on a Jeff Carter goal.
He re‑signed with Pittsburgh on a one‑year, two‑way contract on 20 June 2023, and scored his first NHL goal on 27 December 2023 in a 7–0 win over the New York Islanders. Midway through the 2025–26 season he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on 20 January 2026 for Ilya Solovyov and was immediately assigned to the AHL Colorado Eagles, where he finished the season with 14 points in 24 regular‑season games and added 2 points in six playoff games.
Puustinen’s game is built around goal scoring and playmaking; his Liiga totals and AHL production underline an ability to contribute offensively. Facing free agency as a restricted player, he opted to return to Europe and signed a two‑year contract with Swedish top‑tier club Luleå HF on 10 June 2026.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 9:54
- PP TOI/GP
- 1:06
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:00
- Pts/GP
- 0.23
- EV points
- 1
- Hits
- 10
- Blocks
- 5
- Takeaways
- 3
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 45.1 %
- Off. zone starts
- 28.6 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
Player ratings, 2023-24
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 37 %
75
Established NHL
- SK
- Skating
- 72
- Confidence 57 %
- ST
- Strength
- 58
- Confidence 43 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 62
- Confidence 50 %
- DU
- Durability
- 56
- Confidence 57 %
- CK
- Checking
- 75
- Confidence 43 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 77
- Confidence 25 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 72
- Confidence 43 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 80
- Confidence 37 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 70
- Confidence 37 %
- DF
- Defense
- 85
- Confidence 33 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 65
- Confidence 8 %
- EX
- Experience
- 41
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating72
- Top speed (35 %)35.4 · 66
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)6.587 · 81
- Distance /60 (20 %)15.9 · 77
- Speed consistency (15 %)34.3 · 61
ST — Strength58
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)3.853 · 67
- Body mass (50 %)-1.38 · 61
EN — Endurance62
- Ice time per game (45 %)12.9 · 65
- Total ice time (20 %)597 · 61
- Shift length (15 %)42.6 · 64
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)12.7 · 69
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)1.816 · 69
DU — Durability56
- Share of games played (100 %)0.655 · 56
CK — Checking75
- Hits /60 (70 %)4.553 · 76
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)4.566 · 77
- Season volume (10 %)3.714 · 66
FG — Fighting77
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.941 · 77
DI — Discipline72
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)0.001 · 70
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.509 · 84
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.511 · 57
PA — Passing80
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.878 · 83
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.502 · 78
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)0.069 · 76
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)3.494 · 62
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.788 · 85
SC — Scoring70
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.743 · 66
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.881 · 76
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)-0.389 · 66
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)1.357 · 76
- xG per shot (10 %)0.078 · 74
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)15.1 · 77
DF — Defense85
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.06 · 81
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.26 · 89
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.548 · 83
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)0.313 · 76
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)59.3 · 76
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)2.86 · 84
PS — Penalty shot65
- Shootouts (60 %)31.2 · 63
- Penalty shots (40 %)30.9 · 76
EX — Experience41
- Career regular-season games (65 %)56
- Career playoff games (25 %)0
- NHL seasons (10 %)47
OV — Overall75
- SC · Scoring (28 %)70
- PA · Passing (22 %)80
- DF · Defense (18 %)85
- SK · Skating (12 %)72
- EN · Endurance (8 %)62
- DI · Discipline (5 %)72
- ST · Strength (4 %)58
- CK · Checking (3 %)75
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2023-24
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
PAL Rating
64/ 100
Performance · Above average
154 of 464 at the position
Value Rating
—/ 100
Season cap hit unknown
ProfileDefensiveValue comes mostly from defense
- Offense
- 50
- Defense
- 82
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 55
- Creation
- 53
- Shooting
- 24
- Possession
- 80
- Defense
- 86
- Discipline
- 34
- Power play
- 27
- Penalty kill
- 24
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
WAR, 2024-25
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
0.1
wins above replacement
-0.1 to 0.6 — 90% interval
332 of 596 forwards
+0.4 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- +0.1
- EV defense
- +0.2
- Power play
- -0.0
- Penalty kill
- 0.0
- Shooting
- +0.2
- Penalties
- -0.2
- Average → replacement
- +0.3
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | PIT | 11 | 0.1 | -0.1 to 0.6 | 332/596 |
| 2023-24 | PIT | 52 | -0.1 | -0.8 to 0.5 | 469/608 |
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 108.8 km/h5th percentileleague avg. 135.1 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 37.1 km/h85th percentileleague avg. 35.7 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 3134th percentileleague avg. 76
- Offensive zone time
- 44.3 %81st percentileleague avg. 42.3 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 34.3 km20th percentileleague avg. 204.5 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 3.34 km14th percentileleague avg. 4.67 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 42.5 %78th percentileleague avg. 41.3 %
- Neutral zone time
- 17.4 %21st percentileleague avg. 17.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 38.3 %74th percentileleague avg. 39.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 816th percentile | 226th percentile | 25.0 %100th percentile |
| High danger | 522nd percentile | 121st percentile | 20.0 %44th percentile |
| Mid range | 00th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Long range | 115th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2024-2025 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Last 5 games
| Date | Opponent | G | A | PTS | +/- | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2025 | vs WSH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:31 |
| April 13, 2025 | vs BOS | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 8:12 |
| April 11, 2025 | @ NJD | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12:00 |
| November 15, 2024 | @ CBJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 9:33 |
| November 13, 2024 | vs DET | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:33 |
Valtteri Puustinen: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Valtteri Puustinen have in 2024-25?
Valtteri Puustinen has 2 goals and 3 points (1 assist) in 13 games in 2024-25.
How old is Valtteri Puustinen?
Valtteri Puustinen is 27 years old: he was born on June 4, 1999.
How tall is Valtteri Puustinen, and how much does he weigh?
Valtteri Puustinen is 5'11" (180 cm) and weighs 181 lb (82 kg).
Where is Valtteri Puustinen from?
Finland: Valtteri Puustinen was born in Kuopio, Finland.
How good is Valtteri Puustinen?
Valtteri Puustinen produced 0.1 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2024-25, 332nd of 596 players at his position in the NHL.
Is Valtteri Puustinen a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 332nd of 596 players at his position in the NHL in 2024-25. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
What are Valtteri Puustinen's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Valtteri Puustinen has 66 games, 7 goals, 17 assists and 24 points. His best season: 2023-24, with 20 points in 52 games.
Where was Valtteri Puustinen drafted?
Valtteri Puustinen was drafted 203rd overall (round 7) by Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019.
How does Valtteri Puustinen perform in the playoffs?
Valtteri Puustinen has not played in the NHL playoffs yet.
What is Valtteri Puustinen's nationality?
Valtteri Puustinen is Finnish.
Where did Valtteri Puustinen play before turning pro?
Developed in the HPK youth organization; Liiga debut for HPK in the 2018–19 season.
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)