Koivunen was sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday.
Koivunen was terrific in his eight-game trial with Pittsburgh, picking up seven assists. Koivunen had 21 goals and 34 assists in 62 AHL contests this season and is in line for a top-six role next season with the Penguins.
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Penguins' Ville Koivunen: Notches pair of helpers
Rotowire
Koivunen registered two assists, two shots on goal and two blocked shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Capitals.
Koivunen had a hand in both of Bryan Rust's tallies in the contest. This was Koivunen's first multi-point effort in the NHL. The 21-year-old picked up seven assists, including three on the power play, and added 15 shots on net and an even plus-minus rating over eight appearances late in the season. It's likely he'll return to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for that team's playoff run, but Koivunen should have an inside track to the NHL in 2025-26.
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Penguins' Ville Koivunen: Provides assist in win
Rotowire
Koivunen logged an assist, two shots on goal and five blocked shots in Friday's 4-2 win over the Devils.
Koivunen has opened his NHL career with four assists over six games. The 21-year-old winger is getting a look on the top line and first power-play unit after Rutger McGroarty (lower body) was ruled out for the rest of the regular season. Koivunen has added 12 shots on net, six blocked shots and a plus-1 rating. The 21-year-old is far from a household name, but he's auditioning for a big role with the Penguins heading into 2025-26.
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Penguins' Ville Koivunen: Generates power-play helper
Rotowire
Koivunen notched a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Blackhawks.
Koivunen has two helpers over four NHL contests, and this was his first career power-play point. The 21-year-old is getting a look on the second line and first power-play unit late in the season as the Penguins evaluate some prospects. He's a streaming option in fantasy for those in need of points and shots, but there are likely to be more established options on the wire in redraft formats. Keep an eye on Koivunen in training camp for next season, as he seems poised to make the full-time NHL leap soon.
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Penguins' Ville Koivunen: Earns first NHL assist
Rotowire
Koivunen logged an assist and two PIM in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Blues.
Koivunen's first NHL helper came on a double-milestone moment -- he set up Rutger McGroarty's first NHL goal. That's a glimpse into the future for Penguins fans, though both prospects are getting a look now as the team pivots to evaluation mode ahead of 2025-26. Koivunen needed just two NHL games to earn his first point after racking up 55 points over 62 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He'll likely return to the minor-league team for its playoff run.
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Penguins' Ville Koivunen: Recalled from AHL
Rotowire
Koivunen was called up from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday.
Koivunen has been lighting it up in his first season at the AHL level, tallying 21 goals and 34 assists in 62 games, good for sixth place in scoring. He should get a good look at the NHL level the final three weeks of the season, likely as a middle-six forward.
Penguins' Ville Koivunen: Top prospect heading to Pittsburgh
Rotowire
Koivunen, Michael Bunting, Vasily Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius, a conditional 2024 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick were traded from the Hurricanes to the Penguins on Thursday in exchange for Jake Guentzel and Ty Smith, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports.
Koivunen has been tearing it up in Finland's Liiga, racking up 21 goals and 34 assists over 57 contests for Karpat. The 20-year-old winger was drafted in the second round in 2021, and he's the biggest prospect involved in the return for Guentzel. Koivunen is likely still a year or two away from serious contention for an NHL job, but he should be involved early on if the Penguins embrace a rebuild.
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