The Broncos sign goaltender Joni Puurula

After Marko Leinonen and Joni Myllykoski, the Wild Horses will once again rely on a Finnish goalkeeper next season. As the club announced in a press release, it was Joni Myllykoski (he is moving to the Finnish first division club HPK Hämeenlinna) who made contact with Puurula.

Puurula, who was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2000, comes to the Wild Horses from Kazakh club Arlan Kokshetau, with whom he won the runner-up title last season and had a very strong performance until the playoff semi-finals. Then he suffered a painful inflammation of the ankle tissue, but gritted his teeth and played most of the final series, although not at his best. He was previously under contract with the Swedish Allsvenskan club Asplöven until the end of 2013, where he played a key role in the fight against relegation in his comeback to the big ice hockey stage in 2012/13.

His career in the Finnish SM-Liiga began in 2001/02 when he replaced the starting goalkeeper at HPK Hämeenlinna in the second game of the playoffs. With interludes in Russia with Salavat Yualev Ufa (04/05) and in the Allsvenskan with Leksand (06/07), Puurula played a total of 132 regular season and 43 playoff games with HPK, TPS Turku, SaiPa Lappeenranta and Jokerit Helsinki. After a good season with the Danish first division club Aalborg, he no longer received a contract offer from the SM-Liiga in the summer of 2009 and therefore wanted to end his career.

After a year's break, he joined third division club JHT Kalajoki for the 2010/11 season to get himself in shape. He already had several offers from the SM-Liiga in January, but he decided on the Mestis club Vaasan Sport. With his outstanding performance in the playoffs, he made a significant contribution to winning the championship (93,7% catch rate and 1,94 GAA). In 2011/12 Vaasa defended the championship title, Puurula was even stronger in the playoffs than the year before. With a catch rate of 95,6% and only 1,20 goals against per game, he was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the playoffs and was elected to the league's All-Star team.

Joni Puurula can therefore look back on extensive experience at the highest level. He already has a total of 91 playoff and qualifying games under his belt. The Finn is looking forward to his new experience with the Broncos: “I can hardly wait. Joni Myllykoski told me so many good things. I know him from Asplöven, where he got fit before coming to Italy. Like him, I also want to launch another attack and recommend myself for a contract in a strong league. Myllykoski told me a lot of good things about both the Broncos and the league. The level is quite demanding for a goalie, even though the style is completely different than in Finland. I’ve wanted to play in Central Europe and present myself there for a long time and I’m glad that it’s now worked out.”

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The Broncos sign goaltender Joni Puurula

The WSV Vipiteno Broncos Weihenstephan announced on Sunday evening that Finnish goalkeeper Joni Puurula had been signed. The 31-year-old comes to the Wild Horses from the Kazakh club Arlan Kokshetau. Joni Myllykoski, however, is moving to the Finnish first division club HPK Hämeenlinna.

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