A smallish overager forward who plays a bigger game than his actual size as he is good in protecting the puck and going into rough battles and traffic areas. Puhakka is a good skater with clean pivoting and can change directions very quickly and smoothly and is strong in lateral movement. He is an offensive catalyst who thinks the game offensively whenever he hits the ice. Possesses a deadly shot, especially his one timer, which is an effective weapon. Shows good timing when shooting the puck and has a great shot velocity. Sometimes he could make better shot selections but he is hungry for the puck and likes to shoot, often. He’s a good passer who can assess and find outlets. He likes to drive hard up the middle of the ice and crashes the crease for rebounds and deflections. Not necessarily a physical player but also isn’t afraid of getting involved in physical battles along the boards when forechecking and is also ready to take the hit when trying to pass by opponents along the wall. He is good at chipping the puck into the offensive zone and hustling after it, often making physical contact along the boards. Defensively, he is willing to contribute but can look a bit lost at times in search of his opponent in his own zone. While he backchecks, he seems to wait for potential offensive breakouts and wastes too much time following the play and not really getting involved.
