Preds Top 20, No. 15: Juuso Parssinen's NHL Debut

The Nashville Predators 2022-23 season has officially come to an end, and what a season it has been. From momentous firsts to bittersweet farewells, this year was full of memorable moments both on and off the ice.

We've already taken a look back at the Top 10 goals scored by the Predators this season. Now, we're counting down the Top 20 moments and milestones that highlighted a special season of hockey in SMASHVILLE.

We'll take our trip down memory lane in chronological order, so we're heading back to November to continue our countdown at No. 15.

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The Predators, off to a sluggish 5-8-1 start to their 2022-23 campaign, were desperately in need of a jolt on offense.

Enter Juuso Parssinen.

Predators President of Hockey Operations and General Manager David Poile announced on Nov. 12 that the team had recalled Parssinen from Milwaukee (AHL) ahead of that night's game against the New York Rangers at Bridgestone Arena.

Hours later, the 21-year-old was taking a solo lap in front of a sold-out home crowd for his first-ever NHL game. Expectations for the forward prospect were understandably high, but hardly anyone could have predicted what would happen next.

The Preds were outshot 11-4 in the first period but got one where it counted thanks to the rookie, who scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot. Parssinen took the opening face-off, centering the top line between Filip Forsberg and Mikael Granlund. He already looked like a veteran on just his second shift, holding off former No. 1 Draft pick Alexis Lafreniere and driving wide to the net to give the Preds an early 1-0 lead at 4:58 of the first period.

"[It was an] unreal feeling," Parssinen said. "I didn't expect to score on my first shot, but I'll take that every day. But the most important thing was that we got the win, so that's huge for us… The guys made a good play in our own zone and then I had good speed, so I just tried to jump their D. I had better speed than him and then just tried to put it in the net, and this time it went in."

Parssinen was the fifth player in Predators history to score a goal for the team in his NHL debut. He was the first to do so since Miikka Salomaki on Jan. 8, 2015. Per NHL PR, he was the sixth skater of the past decade to score in his first career game after being selected in the seventh round. Parssinen also led all Preds forwards in ice time, playing 17:49 in his NHL debut.

Originally drafted by the Predators in the seventh round (210th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Parssinen skated in his first North American season after appearing in 134 Liiga games with TPS from 2018-22, posting 87 points (23g-64a). The Hämeenlinna, Finland, native had posted nearly a point-per-game in his first 10 contests with Milwaukee, tallying two goals and seven assists prior to his NHL call-up.

The rest, as they say, is history. Parssinen did not return to Milwaukee as he continued to prove his value as an NHL-caliber player. Despite missing 23 games in the second half of the season due to an upper-body injury, he finished the 2022-23 campaign tied for 16th among all NHL rookies with 25 points (6g-19a). He was 12th among rookies in assists (19), and his 25 points since Nov. 12 - his NHL debut - were tied for the 11th-most among NHL rookies in that time span.

"I think the big thing for young guys in this League is the speed and the strength of the players you have to play against night in and night out, and Parssinen has the engine to do it," Head Coach John Hynes said. "He's in great shape, he's powerful, he's strong and I think that's allowed him to be able to use his assets and come into the NHL and have a strong impact on the team."

Parssinen will no doubt continue to be an impact player for the Predators next season and beyond. He played key minutes in his rookie season, both at 5-on-5 and on the power play. At 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, he fit in well with Nashville's heavy forechecking style of play. Compared with players of a similar age and experience level, Parssinen looks like a man among boys.

"He's got a clear identity as a player," Hynes said. "He's a really big, strong, good-skating player. He's really competitive on the puck, he's competitive in the hard areas of the game, he's got good offensive instincts… I think his abilities as a young player - to come into the League and play at a strong pace, make an impact on the game offensively and have the smarts and the commitment without the puck to handle the defensive responsibilities - have been strong."

From the moment he took the ice for his rookie lap at Bridgestone Arena, it became clear that Parssinen would be a critical piece of the Predators future. This is only the beginning.

Worth a click:

No. 20: Cody Glass Makes the Team
No. 19: Roman Josi's Homecoming
No. 18: Perfect in Prague
No. 17: Return of the Mustard Cat
No. 16: Nashville's 900th Franchise Win