English is still a challenge for Valtteri Puustinen.

And the Finnish-born winger doesn’t hide from that.

“I try my English,” Puustinen said after the first day of the Penguins rookie camp Thursday in Cranberry. “It’s not very good. But I understand OK.”

He seems to have a pretty firm grasp on at least one term that is as American as apple pie and baseball.

When asked to recall the day he was drafted by the Penguins in 2019, he turned to a colorful phrase that has roots in theology and agriculture.

“Holy (expletive)!” Puustinen said. “I’m going to Pittsburgh?!?”

As a seventh-round pick (No. 203 overall), Puustinen wasn’t exactly high on many teams’ draft boards. At the time, he was 20 years old and a bit long in the tooth for a process that typically is reserved for 18-year-olds. And he had been passed over in previous draft years.

Regardless, the Penguins opted to invest a low-risk, late-round pick in the waterbug of a scoring winger.

“(My agent) called me (and said), ‘Pittsburgh picked you,’ ” Puustinen said. “Really!?! I’m really happy.”

At the dawn of Puustinen’s second season in North America, the Penguins appear to be satisfied with the now-23-year-old.

After signing a two-year entry-level contract in May 2021, Puustinen spent the vast majority of the 2021-22 campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. After some early adjustments, he emerged as that team’s leading scorer last season with 42 points (20 goals, 22 assists) in 73 games.

In addition to his success at that level, Puustinen also made his NHL debut, appearing in one game. During a 5-2 home win against the Vegas Golden Knights, he recorded a secondary assist on a goal by veteran forward Jeff Carter.

“Last season, one game,” Puustinen said. “This season, I work, maybe two, three, four games.”

Puustinen might be a bit modest in his projections for the 2022-23 season. With the departures of a handful of veteran forwards on the NHL roster, there appears to be one or two legitimate openings in the lineup for a youngster such as himself to open the season at this level.

“After he figured out exactly what we wanted to see and how much he had to work and skate and be active and kind of wait for things to set up, the better and better he got,” Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach J.D. Forrest said. “He also really dedicated himself off the ice to strength and conditioning.

“He improved immensely from where he was last year at this camp. We’re really proud of him for that. That helped his game, his endurance, his strength down low. And, obviously, he’s dangerous offensively, thinks the game at a high level.”

Added Puustinen: “Here, it’s played very (fast). No stop. (Defensemen are) coming, always. In Finland, maybe (you) wait, back up the ice. Here, hockey is very (fast). Finland, not the same.”

His transition to North America was fairly smooth on the ice. Off the ice, things remain a work in progress, particularly with English.

“You come over here, you don’t really know any English,” Forrest said. “Luckily, we had quite a few Finnish guys last year that really helped him. We have some this year, too. We’re forcing him to speak English. He did a great job adjusting away from the ice. He just wants to keep getting better. He knows that’s an important part of it.”

One of those fellow Finns Puustinen leaned on was former Penguins defenseman Juuso Riikola.

“Last season, my roommate (Riikola), we were watching movies, but no Finnish (movies),” Puustinen said. “I’m watching (and ask), ‘Hey Juuso, how do you say that again?’ ”

The language of hockey appears to be universal, however.

“Here, it’s very easy because we’re watching videos, and I understand,” Puustinen said. “I don’t always understand what is (said) but (when) I’m watching video, I understand good.”

Regardless of how it’s stated, Puustinen’s goal is pretty easy to understand.

“I watch (as a) little boy, games here (in the NHL),” Puustinen said. “I think, I maybe (could) play here.”

Notes: Forrest said, defensemen Owen Pickering (first round, No. 21 overall) and Nolan Collins (sixth round,No. 167 overall) — each selected during July’s draft — are dealing with undisclosed injuries. Pickering did not practice for precautionary reasons, and Collins participated in a non-contact fashion.

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