With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2023-24 season coming to an end without any postseason action, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 51 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from fourth-line center Noel Acciari to reserve winger Radim Zohorna.
This series is scheduled to be published every weekday leading into the second day of the NHL Draft on June 29.
(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)
Ville Koivunen
Position: Right winger
Shoots: Left
Age: 20
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 172 pounds
2023-24 AHL postseason statistics: Two games, two points (one goal, one assist)
2023-24 Liiga statistics: 59 games, 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists), 17:51 of average ice time per contest
2023-24 Liiga postseason statistics: 12 games, 13 points (five goals, eight assists), 19:52 of average ice time per contest
Contract: In the first year of a three-year, entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $805,833. Pending restricted free agent in 2026
(Note: Koivunen is exempt from waivers for any assignment to a minor league affiliate.)
Acquired: Trade, March 7, 2024
This season: Approximately two weeks before this season’s trade deadline, Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas addressed the possibility of dealing away All-Star forward Jake Guentzel.
“We have to take stock of where we’re at and be realistic about the fact that one of the issues we need to get younger,” Dubas said in Cranberry on Feb. 21. “We have to have a way to continue to have those solid veteran guys but continue to get younger at the same time.”
Fifteen days later, Guentzel was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes and the Penguins got back a bundle of assets including NHL forward Michael Bunting as well as three forward prospects in Vasily Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius and Ville Koivunen as well as a conditional draft pick.
Koivunen appears to be the focal point of the youth movement Dubas outlined.
A second-round pick (No. 51) of the Hurricanes in the 2021 NHL Draft, Koivunen enjoyed a breakout season in his native Finland with Oulan Karpat in the Liiga as he finished sixth in that league’s scoring race. In the process, he put up the most points by a 20-year-old in that league =since NHLer Sami Kapanen had 55 points in 1993-94.
Koivunen was particularly productive in the second half of the season. After the calendar flipped to 2024, he generated 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in only 25 games.
???? Liekeissä: VILLE KOIVUNEN ????????
Hattutemppu täyteen avauserään! ????
???? @MTVUrheilu | #Liiga #Kärpät @OulunKarpatFi pic.twitter.com/YUQMAOKgmn
— Liiga (@smliiga) January 3, 2024
Helping Karpat finish in fourth place and qualify for the playoffs, Koivunen was second in postseason scoring on a team that was eliminated in the semifinal round.
???? Teemu Turunen riistää, Ville Koivunen täräyttää jo toisen osumansa Raksilan avauserään! ????
???? @MTVUrheilu | #Liiga #Kärpät pic.twitter.com/6oYgKSM0Yl
— Liiga (@smliiga) March 23, 2024
On April 23, Koivunen was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and played in each of that squad’s postseason games, posting two points in an opening-round loss.
???? VILLE SCORES HIS FIRST AS A PEN ???? pic.twitter.com/MnAGqT5KXC
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) April 25, 2024
The future: Following the trade, Dubas suggested Koivunen could challenge for an NHL roster spot in training camp by September.
Considering Koivunen has all of 14 career games on this continent — including 12 with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in 2022-23 — it might be a bit premature to pencil him into the lineup for the 2024-25 season opener. But he clearly has some favored nations’ status with management.
Barring a simply spectacular showing in training camp and the preseason, Koivunen, who turns 21 on June 13, will likely open the 2024-25 campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and get some much-needed seasoning before he is a serious candidate to challenge for an NHL roster spot.
But make no mistake, management is highly infatuated with Koivunen. Dubas was high on him dating back to his draft year. An intelligent and skilled winger, Koivunen is extremely confident and can complement linemates.
It might not be immediate, but Koivunen is a significant part of the Penguins’ future.
Follow the Penguins all season long.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
