Penguins forward prospect Emil Jarventie works to gain foothold in Finland's top pro league

Emil Jarventie, a 19-year-old winger and seventh-round selection by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023 NHL Draft, is not on the shortlist of prospects who can potentially suit up for the club soon.

Jarventie, chosen at No. 217 last year and a native of Vantaa, Finland, has yet to sign with the Penguins.

In terms of North American hockey experience, Jarventie played 19 games with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League in 2021-22.

He also signed an amateur tryout agreement with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League this past April, but did not appear in any games.

However, the 5-foot-10, 167-pound forward is knocking on the door of becoming a regular within Liiga, the top professional league in Finland.

For now, Jarventie’s primary objective will be ascending to the highest level of Finnish pro hockey and proving he can swim with the big fish there.

“I think it’s going to be a great summer for me,” Jarventie said. “My next step is going to be playing a full season in Liiga. That’s my goal and I’m working on that the last two-three months. I’m going to work at that day after day and when I go back to Finland, I’m going to train more. That’s my goal.

“We have competition in the team in Finland and that’s great for me. There’s young players, too, and we are battling for who is going to play there. That’s really fun. Nothing is free there.”

Jarventie has several seasons of junior hockey under his belt and over the last two years, got his feet wet in Mestis, Finland’s second-tier pro league.

Last season, he appeared in 41 games for KOOVEE, scoring nine goals with 12 assists, building on a 2022-23 campaign with the club in which he had four goals and three assists over 19 games.

In keeping an eye on Jarventie, the Penguins are hopeful he can take the next step of his developmental journey overseas.

“He’s got a nice skill set and he’s got some speed where it just darts out of spaces and can attack areas and take pucks to the net,” director of player development Tom Kostopoulos said. “Similar, he’s got to find some consistency in it. I think there’s some things he can do off the ice to keep building his body to be able to play that way more consistently. His agility and his speed are real assets for him.

“The more he can use them, the better, and then he’s got the quick hands, nice shot, has got real offensive ability. It’ll be important for him to have a big year, finish this summer, put some work in in the weight room and then have a big season.”

Jarventie recently joined the Penguins for his second development camp earlier this month.

Familiarity with the Penguins staff as well as several other prospects whom he skated with at camp in 2023 proved helpful this time around.

“It (was) a really nice experience for me,” he said. “It’s easier than last year, too. It was a lot easier to come here because I knew stuff before. There were guys I met last year — a lot of good guys, good coaches, good stuff. Facilities are great here. Just honored to be here.”

Currently, New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt, fresh off a career-high 83-point campaign, and fellow Finn Matias Maccelli of Utah Hockey Club are players whose styles of play Jarventie hopes he can emulate.

As he dives into training for the rest of the summer, Jarventie has a plan of attack to put him in the best possible position for this upcoming hockey season in Finland.

“Skating is my strength,” he said. “I live with skating and getting the puck to guys, so that’s where I’m good. Where I can do better is keep the balance of my skating — skating with my speed every time, every shift.

“I have been working on my strength and skating, just doing those on-ice and off-ice stuff better than last year and growing up as a person.”