One of three prospects in the Jake Guentzel trade, Koivunen’s development will continue in the AHL for now.
Graduates and departed players from last year’s list
The best of the rest
#25: Raivis Ansons
#24: Kirill Tankov
#23: Isaac Belliveau
#22: Taylor Gauthier
#21: Chase Pietila
#20: Emil Jarventie
#19: Kalle Kangas
#18: Joona Vaisanen
#17: Filip Kral
#16: Mac Swanson
#15: Jonathan Gruden
#14: Cruz Lucius
#13: Emil Pieniniemi
#12: John Ludvig
#11: Mikhail Ilyin
#10: Harrison Brunicke
#9: Tristan Broz
#8: Sam Poulin
#7: Tanner Howe
#6: Vasily Ponomarev
#5: Ville Koivunen
2023 Ranking: N/A
Age: 21 (June 13, 2003)
Acquired Via: Trade with Carolina, March 2024
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 178 pounds
Ville Koivunen is a player that Kyle Dubas has coveted dating back to his draft year. In short, here are a few snippets that describe the forward.
His game is one of pure, unrelenting skill, and an attacking mindset to match. Koivunen wants the puck on his stick, wants to be a game-breaker, [and] wants to make something happen every shift. —2021 Elite Prospects NHL Draft Guide
A dual-threat winger who makes his teammates better the second he steps on the ice. He is smart and skilled, playing off his linemates’ strengths and adapting his game to theirs. He may not drive a line but he will boost any line’s production. —DobberProspects
Here we have an offensively inclined, intelligent winger who, as the stats point out, has improved with each year of development.
Ville Koivunen has a slick set of mitts. pic.twitter.com/uOw054FGRG
— Danny Shirey (@DannyShireyPGH) March 9, 2024
Koivunen was nearly a point-per-game player with Karpat in Liiga during the 2023-24 regular season (22 goals, 34 assists, 56 points in 59 games). In 12 playoff contests, he registered five goals and eight assists.
Koivunen put up the most points by a 20-year-old in Liiga since Sami Kapanen recorded 55 points in 1993-94. That’s an impressive stat for a youngster playing in a men’s league.
Ville Koivunen, moving to #LetsGoPens in the Guentzel trade, is having one of the best U21 seasons in Liiga history.
Koivunen’s 55 points is the best mark by a player his age in almost 30 years. He leads the entire league in points since the start of December.
Highlights: pic.twitter.com/MehZO2JeYh
— Lassi Alanen (@lassialanen) March 8, 2024
Ville Koivunen (#LetsGoPens) dishes out a cross-slot pass to get a primary helper on the goal that secured Kärpät an OT win in the Liiga bronze medal game.
Koivunen ended up with 13 points in 12 games during Kärpät’s playoff run. pic.twitter.com/BJgsIzKAAa
— Lassi Alanen (@lassialanen) April 19, 2024
On April 23, Koivunen was assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he recorded a goal and an assist over two postseason games.
While all of this offensive production seems tantalizing to a fanbase that hasn’t been able to get excited about a prospect since the Bush administration, at only 21 with just 14 career AHL games under his belt, Koivunen is poised to begin the season with the WB/S Penguins for a bit more polish.
At the NHL level, some models suggest Koivunen’s ceiling may be that of a bottom-sixer.
Byron Bader / Hockey Prospecting
However, Kyle Dubas and his associates see a future where the Finnish-born forward is an integral part of the next generation of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey.
“I want to play in the NHL like every guy here wants to play there,” Koivunen said during the Penguins development camp in July, “but I have to work hard and play good. So, it’s going to be a long way, but I have to work hard.”
If Koivunen shows consistency at the AHL level, he may earn a spot on a short list of players who get recalled due to injury at some point this season.
While the 2024-25 season may be a bit premature to see if Koivunen can stick in the NHL, a year of development in the American League could fast-track his way to an NHL roster spot in 2025-26.