Teemu Pulkkinen can score goals. At the AHL level, he’s been on fire, netting 30 of them this season and producing 9-4-13 totals while riding a current eight-game points streak with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

It’s the rest of his game that the Detroit Red Wings need to see from Pulkkinen before he’ll earn the right to stay permanently with the big club.

Returned to Grand Rapids late last month after producing one goal in six games with the Wings, his first in NHL company, the Wings reached out to Pulkkinen again Tuesday after they were shut out 2-0 by the Montreal Canadiens Monday at Joe Louis Arena, the second time in three games Detroit was held to one goal or fewer.

Detroit coach Mike Babcock didn’t mince words when asked what he saw from Pulkkinen the first time around this season.

“Nothing,” Babcock said. “I saw a kid that was a little bit nervous. That’s why we sent him back down.”

The only player in Grand Rapids franchise history to post back-to-back 30-goal campaigns, Pulkkinen wouldn’t be the first AHL sniper who couldn’t make the grade in the big show. Over the years, names like Jody Gage, Mal Davis, Donald MacLean, Dan Currie and Brad Smyth are just a few AHL scoring legends who never found a way to translate that success to the NHL on a regular basis.

The Wings believe that with some fine tuning Pulkkinen’s snipe hunt will eventually translate to the big leagues.

“He’s got an absolute bomb of a shot,” Babcock said of Pulkkinen. “He’s tenacious. He’s on the puck. He’s strong.

“He just keeps going. He’s a machine-like scorer. That’s going to translate at some point. Is it this time?

“I don’t know.”

A significant concern with Pulkkinen is that while he displays a Brett Hull-like knack for stealthy finding open space in the attacking zone, his long windup leads to too many of his shots being blocked or simply knocked away before the follow through and on the occasions when it does get through, he’s provided NHL goalies time to get set and that’s also a fatal flaw.

“In the NHL today there’s no room,” Babcock said. “We have to find ways to generate offense in no space. You have to create your own space.

“Being strong on your feet, being able to leverage your body is so important and he does those things.

“He’s shown he’s very, very good in the American Hockey League. You’re always looking for goals. We’re always looking to improve our roster. If he can help us, he’s got to take someone’s job, just like everyone else.

“We have lots of guys coming up, some stay and some don’t. We think Pulkky is a real good player. Blash (Grand Rapids coach Jeff Blashill) thinks he’s a real good player. Our pro scouts think he’s a real good player.

“Let’s give him an opportunity to be a real good player.”

For his part Pulkkinen views each of his NHL opportunities – this is his third recall to Detroit – as a learning experience.

“It was good experience to play,” Pulkkinen said. “I was playing hard. I kind of thought I can play in this league, so it was great for me, and now I just want to improve my game and play better every game, so I’m excited to get the second chance and just kind of enjoy the game and try to help the team as much as I can.”

Pulkkinen didn’t pout when he got sent back down, instead opting to work on the elements of his game he was told to improve.

“As a player, everybody wants to play in the NHL but it’s hard,” Pulkkinen said. “There’s 20-25 good players so I just played my best and they put me there. I was excited to play hockey. It’s better to play hockey than to sit.

“It was good to go there and get some confidence again and I’m happy to be back and I want to play as good as I can and try to hold a spot.”

He feels the biggest challenge at the NHL level is finding open ice to get the scoring chances that come so easily to him in the AHL.


“For sure that’s one thing but I tried to do my best,” Pulkkinen said. “Last time I was here I got some good chances. I just have to improve all the time and find the open spot.”

He hopes to show the Wings that he’s learned his lessons well.

“We’ll see when I play now,” Pulkkinen said. “I hope I’m going to find the spots and maybe score some goals, too.”

Franzen Update
The latest report on the condition of Detroit forward Johan Franzen, battling with his latest bout of post-concussion syndrome, is not promising.

“I haven’t seen him, he hasn’t been around here much,” Detroit GM Ken Holland said. “I don’t know. I believe he’s getting a little bit better. I know he’s working with Dr. (Jeff) Kutcher. I get a report occasionally from (athletic therapist) Piet Van Zant when Piet talks to Dr. Kutcher. But he’s not here. He’s not on the bike. I don’t know how far he is away.”

Holland was brutally honest, admitting no one has any idea when Franzen might be back at work with the Wings.

“I’m not a doctor; I’m a hockey guy,” Holland said. “My job is hockey. I’m not a neurosurgeon. So at the end of the day all I know is until he feels better every day for a period of days they never go to the next level, whatever the next level is.

“All I know is he needs to be here every day riding the bike and if he’s not here every day, he’s not on the radar screen to return to play hockey anytime soon.”

Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer

Join the Discussion: » 23 Comments » Post New Comment

» Five of Last Six First Rounders To Start Season In AHL

» Zadina, Veleno sent down

» Opening-Night Roster Not Set In Stone

» Back Where Pro Hockey Started

» Abdelkader Looking To Bounce Back