Pyyhtia's incredible finish to season has Blue Jackets excited

Mikael Pyyhtia had six goals in the first five months of the season a year ago with TPS in Finland.
He then had 15 goals over 20 games in the last two months, then eight goals and 13 points in 18 playoff games as he helped the squad get all the way to the Liiga final.
So what changed for the 2020 fourth-round pick of the Blue Jackets?

Well, one must remember that in Finland, all males above the 18 must serve time in the military because of universal conscription. For Pyyhtia, that stint came in the summer of 2021, meaning he went into the hockey season in much better military shape than hockey shape.
It was also the 6-0, 174-pound wing's first full season in Finland's highest level of hockey, so add it all up and the start was a little slow on the goal-scoring front. But once Pyyhtia got going, he was a nearly unstoppable goal-scoring force who climbed all the way to fifth in the Liiga in scoring by the end of the season.
"I think he's had all the tools in junior, but the difference between that and the following spring was just with his conditioning," said CBJ European development coach Jarkko Ruutu, a former NHL player based in Finland. "He went to the army this past summer, and it was really hard to train there. Once you get behind the eight ball, it's hard to get to get going right away, and you lose a little bit of confidence.
"I think when things worked out for him and he got back on track and got out of the army, it came natural and he was himself again."
The Blue Jackets have held Pyyhtia, also a member of Finland's 2021 World Juniors team, in high regard since his draft pick, but the outstanding season pushed the team to sign the 20-year-old to a three-year entry-level contract in May.
Coming off that 21-14-35 line in 56 games, he will remain with his hometown club of TPS this season, but Pyyhtia appears to be on a solid track when it comes to making to the NHL down the road.
"It was a big step in my career," Pyyhtia said when he was in Columbus for the team's annual summer development camp in July. "The contract was also a huge step. I'm one step closer to my dream.
"It was a good season. It felt so good. It made me a better player. I think the experience was why."
Pyyhtia also has another factor he can point to for his improvement, and that is the work he did with Ruutu throughout the season. The job of the team's development coaches is to provide another voice and some deeper perspective throughout the season for the team's prospects scattered across the world, and Ruutu's home base in Finland meant it wasn't hard for him to check out Pyyhtia's games when the schedule worked out.
The young winger said the two chatted every week, and he was able to gain advice on subjects as varied as how to handle specific situations on the ice to how to use his time in the gym. It also helped to have a sounding board for Pyyhtia as he worked through his early-season ups and downs.
"I am here for the guys," Ruutu said. "That is the only reason we are here is to try to help them get to the next level, get over the hump. They're doing all the work, but if you're there, you can talk about the game. Especially when things are not going right, you just start questioning things. That's probably when I have the most impact and the most conversation with the guys, just tell them that nothing has changed on behalf of our organization and try to tell them to trust the process. It will turn around if you keep working hard and doing the right things."
That certainly was the case for Pyyhtia, who showed the ability to score in bunches on a team that also included the 2022 draft's No. 1 pick in Juraj Slafkovsky. Pyyhtia had two hat tricks once he heated up last year -- one in the regular season vs. Pelicans and another in the second round of the playoffs against Ilves -- and three more two-goal games during the last 20 games of the regular season.
"I think he has a very good release on his wrist shot, and the way he shoots is deceptive," Ruutu said. "It's hard to read for the goalies. He has very good speed. Coming off the wing, you have to be ready for him. I think he has a lot of positives in his game."
Time will tell if he's able to recreate that hot streak this year with TPS -- which has begun preseason games, with the regular season set to begin Sept. 13 in a finals rematch against Tappara -- but Pyyhtia will have to chance to keep his development going. And at some point, he sees himself as someone who can make it at the NHL level.
"That's a good question," he said when asked if he thought he was close to being NHL ready. "I need more strength, but I think I am close. After that."