Finnish winger Jesse Puljujärvi, 27, has signed a two-year contract with Genève-Servette, the National League club announced on Tuesday.
“I’m really excited to be joining Genève-Servette!” Jesse Puljujärvi is quoted in the club’s press release. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about the organization and the league, and I’m looking forward to experiencing it all. We have a great group of players, and I’m going to give my all to help the team succeed. I’m also looking forward to visiting the city, which looks amazing, and meeting the fans.”
“We are very pleased with the arrival of Jesse, a player we have been following for some time now,” said club sports manager Marc Gautschi. “Thanks to his physique and speed, he can be absolutely dominant on the big Swiss ice rinks. We are convinced that with the help of our coaching staff, he will further develop his scoring skills and become an essential offensive leader for our team.”
News of Puljujärvi heading to Switzerland began two weeks ago while he was still playing in the Calder Cup finals for the Charlotte Checkers.
He joins a Genève-Servette team that won its first-ever national championship in Switzerland in 2023-24 and won the Champions Hockey League in 2024-25, but has missed the playoffs the last two National League seasons.
In addition to Puljujärvi, Genève-Servette has under contract for 2025-26 former NHLers Markus Granlund, Josh Jooris, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Taylor Beck and Tim Berni, whose NHL rights are still retained by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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fiercest rival.
Born in Älvkarleby, Sweden, Puljujärvi grew up in Finland and is a product of the Kärpät club in northern Finland. It is with that Oulu-based club that he first turned pro at age 16 in 2014-15.
Puljujärvi was chosen fourth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He has 128 points in 387 career NHL regular-season games with the Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers. He also has six points in 27 playoff games with Edmonton and Carolina.
During his career, Puljujärvi returned to play for Kärpät in 2019-20 and part of 2020-21, as pandemic-related restrictions delayed the NHL’s start to that season.
In June 2023, he underwent double hip surgery and missed half of the following season.
Jesse Puljujärvi: “It’s been a long process, I’m really happy to be here”The last couple of seasons have been an ordeal for Jesse Puljujärvi. He split a rather unproductive 2022-23 campaign between the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes, during which he played in constant pain. Then in June 2023, he underwent double hip surgery. He didn’t return to the ice until January and, after a half-season split between the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the NHL, he’s now playing in his second IIHF World Championship for Finland, and first since 2017.
When Puljujärvi was waived by Pittsburgh in February of this year to terminate his contract “by mutual agreement” ahead of the international transfer deadline, it was widely expected that he’d end up in Europe. Switzerland was one of his rumored destinations at that time, as was Kärpät. However, he surprisingly signed with Florida instead.
This past season, Puljujärvi had 10 pointss in 31 NHL games, split between Pittsburgh and Florida, and 16 points in 26 AHL games, split between Wilkes/Barre-Scranton and Charlotte. He also had 11 points in 18 playoff games for Charlotte, which included an overtime goal in Game 5 of the finals against the Abbotsford Canucks, which kept the Checkers alive for one more game.
Photo © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
More on Jesse Puljujärvi:
Puljujärvi goes from double hip surgery to Finland's World Championship roster
Jesse Puljujärvi: “It’s been a long process, I’m really happy to be here”
Jesse Puljujarvi Waived By Penguins – Headed Back To Finland?
RUMOR: Jesse Puljujärvi Headed To Switzerland After AHL Finals