Many top NHL draft picks break into the NHL having dominated at all levels before. The skills that stood out to scouts had elevated these players higher than many others their age, and Puljujarvi had displayed utter dominance the year leading up to his draft selection.

His body of work at the 2016 World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland was something to behold. Puljujarvi led all players with 17 points and was named the best forward as tournament MVP en route to a gold medal. His point total was the second-highest by an under-18 player at the tournament-behind only Jaromir Jagr who tallied 18 points for Czechoslovakia at the 1990 tournament.

He looked, both skill-wise and physically, like a man amongst boys.

And he certainly didn't look out of place when actually playing with men for Karat in Liiga, Finland's top professional league where he tallied 13 goals and 18 points while averaging 15:04 of ice time in 50 games during the 2015-16 season.

All signs pointed to Puljujarvi being able to make the jump to the NHL sooner rather than later.

But adjustment on the ice is only one side of it.

Puljujarvi was going to have to endure a lot of firsts before he would even lace them up in one of the biggest of them all for his NHL debut.

Plucked from the familiar into a new country, with a new language, new teammates and new systems - a recipe for some discomfort, though you would never know it by seeing the young man in his new surroundings.

"It doesn't matter how things are going for him on the ice, good or bad, he always has a positive attitude, is always laughing and has a smile on his face," said fellow Finn and teammate on the Finnish National team Patrik Laine.

Oilers management, teammates and fans would come to learn this as well.

From day one of his first Oilers training camp, Puljujarvi walked around bright-eyed, beaming and looking not at all out of place. His English was still a work in progress but he would attempt to answer media questions - often in short and brief affirmations but always with his signature grin in tow.

Puljujarvi's NHL career started with a bang, with the NHL's youngest player scoring his first goal in his League debut on opening night at Rogers Place. From there, he had an interesting, albeit expected, first few months as a rookie in the pros. After being in and out of the lineup for the first 28 games of the season, the Oilers opted to send Puljujarvi down for some seasoning with the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League.

"I think if you were to ask him he'd say it was frustrating," said Chiarelli. "I met with him a couple times throughout the year and he was very frustrated with his game."

It's never a part of the plan, but the Oilers knew it could only benefit the young Finn to get more ice time in Bakersfield rather than sporadically with the Oilers as a rookie. With the big club, Puljujarvi showed glimpses of his ability. In 28 games before his assignment, he managed one goal and seven assists, but limited minutes meant his acclimation was inevitably slowed.

Puljujarvi looks back with 20/20 vision and knows some time in the AHL was needed.

"Last year it was a good thing," he said. "I wasn't playing here as much and I needed to play. I went there and played many minutes and it was a good thing."

What Puljujarvi did with those increased minutes was very telling and shed a little light on just how close he was to a full-time NHL job.

After being sent down in January, the winger would instantly make an offensive impact, recording a point in each of his first five games (2-3-5) and settled in as the offensive forward the organization knew he could be.

Bakersfield Head Coach Gerry Fleming knew Puljujarvi was entering his Condors lineup with a checklist of things to work on. Namely, his play away from the puck. The offence was prevalent. The defence needed work.

"We didn't want to overwhelm him with too many things. We just focused on a few areas and details," said Fleming.

And while Fleming immediately saw why the Finn came with such a cache, he kept a close eye on his development both on and off the ice.

"As an 18-year-old, being taken and placed in a new culture, that's hard. You're not as familiar with the language, there's new foods, new people and you're away from your friends and family. It's hard to imagine how it would feel," said Fleming.

But that's when teammates can be the necessary crutch.

"The guys embraced him. The biggest thing was his teammates doing everything possible to make him feel comfortable and helping with that acclimation to North America."

The hulking winger finished that season with 12 goals, 16 assists and 28 points in 39 games with the Condors.

A confidence booster to say the least.