Former Florida Panthers forward Jesse Puljujärvi has signed a two-year contract with Genève-Servette, the National League club announced on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old winger wasn't a Panther for a long time, but he made a lasting impact on their AHL team, the Charlotte Checkers. He played just five games with the Panthers after he signed a two-way contract following a successful professional tryout with the Checkers. In the NHL, Puljujärvi recorded just one goal, but in the AHL, he scored five goals and 13 points in 22 games.
Puljujärvi's lasting impact came during the Checkers' playoff run, registering three goals and 11 points in 18 games, scoring a Game 5 double overtime winner in the Calder Cup Finals.
Once the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, the skilled Finnish winger was never able to put it all together at the NHL level. Although he can still return to the NHL following the conclusion of his contract, Puljujärvi exits the NHL now with a career-high of 15 goals and 36 points.
Prior to the start of his NHL career, Puljujärvi lit the junior international tournaments on fire. At the U-18s, Puljujärvi recorded five goals and seven points in four games, but before that tournament, he scored five goals and 17 points in seven games at the World Juniors as an underager, recording the most points, named the best forward, tournament MVP and winning gold.
Puljujärvi's European hockey career was spent previously in Finland with Kärpät, but now, the 6-foot-4 right winger embarks on a new journey in Switzerland.
“I’m really excited to be joining Genève-Servette!” 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.”
CONFIRMED: Jesse Puljujärvi Signs Multi-Year Contract in Switzerland
Finnish winger Jesse Puljujärvi, 27, has signed a
two-year contract with Genève-Servette, the National League
club announced on Tuesday.
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. He's also joining a team that rosters several former NHL players, those being Markus Granlund, Josh Jooris, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Taylor Beck and Tim Berni, whose NHL rights are still retained by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
After shortcomings with the Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Panthers, Puljujärvi will look to rejuvenate his career back in Europe.
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