Valtteri Pulli Will Play for Barracuda If He Doesn’t Make Sharks

Valtteri Pulli has officially touched down in San Jose.

The San Jose Sharks signed the Finnish defenseman in mid-March on the back of a breakout season with TPS of Liiga, Finland’s top professional league. Several NHL teams were interested in the 22-year-old, 6-foot-6 defenseman after he showcased good defensive ability and put up 17 points in 53 games.

REPORT: Sharks Sign Finnish Defenseman Valtteri Pulli

It probably doesn’t hurt that Sharks’ Finland-area scout Tomi Kallio is also Turku’s Director of European Scouting.

The left-hander is under contract with the San Jose Sharks for the next two seasons and just had his first media availability at Sharks development camp.

Pulli on his decision to join the San Jose Sharks:

It was an easy decision. They were really interested in me back in the winter when we had some discussions. The whole organization seemed ready to develop people. The decision was pretty easy for me to come here.

Pulli on how his last season went:

For the team, it was a little bit [of a] tough season. But for me, it was a good breakout here. Mixed feelings about it.

Pulli on his other NHL options:

I can’t remember, but there were quite a few. [This] organization is rebuilding, a new team, and I want to be a part of that rebuild.

Pulli on his summer plans after dev camp:

After camp, I go back to Finland, and practice there and be on the ice for a while. Just want to be ready when [training] camp starts.

Pulli on his thoughts of Sami Salo, who coaches him at TPS Turku:

He was our defenseman coach and he’s a great coach. I think he has a lot to give because of his great career here.

Pulli on his play style:

I want to be a tough D-man who you hate to play against. Defends well and get the first pass correct. That’s all I do.

Pulli on possibly returning to Finland if he doesn’t make the San Jose Sharks out of training camp:

I’ll play with the Barracuda.

Pulli on if he models his game after a particular player:

Not that much, but if you’ve got to pick one, I gotta say Victor Hedman. He’s a big guy and he can play all around. So that’s what I want to be.

Pulli on getting passed over in the Draft:

I don’t know. Maybe I’m just a late bloomer. It was a bit of a disappointment when the Draft didn’t happen, but it didn’t change that much. I still worked and still played in Finland. I had my own thing going on there. I just worked hard and it paid off.