CRANBERRY, Pa. — Ville Koivunen could face heightened expectations with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 21-year-old forward was acquired in a high-profile trade on March 7 that sent forward Jake Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith to the Carolina Hurricanes. Koivunen came to the Penguins with fellow forward prospects Vasily Ponomarev and Cruz Lucius, forward Michael Bunting and two picks in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Guentzel won a Stanley Cup championship with Pittsburgh as a rookie in 2017. He had 466 points (219 goals, 247 assists) in 503 regular-season games before the trade, mostly playing left wing on the first line with center Sidney Crosby.
Considered a primary piece of the return for the Penguins, Koivunen would be within his rights to feel pressured. At this point, he doesn’t.
“No, I don’t feel the pressure yet — at least this summer,” Koivunen said July 6. “Maybe when the season starts, maybe then. But not yet.”
Koivunen, from Oulu, Finland, was asleep when the trade became official. A notification in a group chat broke the news.
“I was pretty shocked. ‘What’s happening now?’” said Koivunen, who was selected by the Hurricanes in the second round (No. 51) of the 2021 NHL Draft. “After an hour or two, I was pretty excited that happened and to be part of this organization.”
Last season, Koivunen (6-foot, 172 pounds) had 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) in 59 regular-season games with Karpat of Liiga, the top professional hockey league in Finland, and added 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 12 postseason games. That was up from 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 52 regular-season games in 2022-23.
Koivunen joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League for two games last postseason and had one goal and one assist.
The experience of playing professionally in the AHL and Finland has been invaluable, Koivunen said.
“It’s always a little bit harder, of course,” Koivunen said. “Guys are pretty strong and wise. They don’t make much mistakes. It’s fun.”
The Penguins were impressed with Koivunen’s hockey sense in limited AHL experience, assistant general manager Jason Spezza said.
“I think he thinks the game at a very high level,” Spezza said. “I think he’s able to manipulate defenders with subtle movements. He’s very dangerous on the power play, coming downhill. … He’s able to make plays at a quick pace. I think the important part of development for him would be just getting the pace of his skating up, stronger.
“The rink closes on you a little quicker in the American (Hockey) League and the NHL (when compared to Finland). So we’ll help him with that transition. But with the hockey IQ, I think that’s the exciting part with us.”
If it were up to Koivunen, his progression would continue in the NHL.
But waiting is part of the process. Like other aspects of the game, Koivunen said it’s something he understands.
“Of course I want to play in the NHL,” Koivunen said. “Every guy here wants to play there. I have to work hard and play good. It’s going to be a long way, but I’ll work hard.”
