By Dillon Collins, Features writer
How many 21-year-olds have the
chance to play alongside one of the greatest of all-time? Ville Koivunen
found himself occupying such rarefied air during his first taste of NHL
play with the Pittsburgh Penguins, operating on the top line alongside
Bryan Rust and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby.
“When
I went to the NHL, it was like a dream come true,” Koivunen said. “It
was pretty nice and a lot of fun. And, of course, playing with Crosby
and Malkin, Rusty, those guys were pretty awesome.”
But Koivunen
skating alongside ‘The Kid’ wasn’t initially in the cards. While the
Oulu native has all the requisite tools to become a top-six attraction,
it appeared he’d spend his future plying his trade with the likes of
Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov after the Carolina Hurricanes
selected Koivunen in the second round of the 2021 draft, 51st overall.
Instead,
Koivunen – then in his third season with Liiga squad Karpat – became
the key prospect Pittsburgh coveted in the 2024 deadline deal that saw
winger Jake Guentzel head to Carolina. “It came out of the blue,” said
Koivunen, now 22. “I was pretty surprised when I woke up and saw the
trade. The first hour, I was a little bit shocked. Like, what’s going to
happen now? And what do I have to do now? But after one hour, I was
very excited about where I get to with the organization, what they have
done and what kind of players they have. And of course, the good part,
maybe getting chances to play in the NHL, too.”
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Koivunen
made an immediate impact in his first full season with the AHL’s
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, blowing past expectations to lead the
team with 56 points and tie for third in goals with 21 in 63 games,
earning a spot on the AHL’s all-rookie team. “They’re a great group,”
Koivunen said. “It was easy to play with them – a skillful group. And
coach Kirk (MacDonald) helped me a lot. He gave me a chance to play with
my strengths and use them, which was pretty great.”
"When I went to the NHL, it was like a dream come true."
– Ville Koivunen
After
being recalled from the AHL on March 28, Koivunen made his NHL debut
two days later in a 1-0 Pittsburgh win over Ottawa. And he showed no
sign of jitters, putting up seven assists in his seven games after being
held off the scoresheet in Game 1. With the NHL squad missing the
playoffs, Koivunen earned further big-game experience after returning to
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and banking two assists in as many games in the
Baby Pens’ brief post-season run. “Every game, I felt a little more
comfortable,” he said. “I felt like I could make more plays in every
game and have a lot of confidence. The game’s faster, of course. There’s
a lot of skill – like how they play with the puck. I just went there to
play with my strengths, and then you feel it, and it is a little bit
like a different level.”
Though Koivunen is not big at six-foot
and 172 pounds, he has a great complete level, and his smarts and
natural playmaking ability make him dangerous. He now must work on
rounding out his game and adjust to the rigors of North American hockey.
“I’m just trying to get more explosiveness and be faster, and also a
bit more strength on the battles, on the corners and trying to win the
puck battles more,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing I’m trying to
improve.”
And what has he learned from his brief time sharing a
dressing room with Crosby, Malkin and Co.? “I just try to watch how they
play and what they do off the ice,” he said. “Just try to do everything
as good as you can. I think that’s going to help me a lot there.”
"I just try to make the team. In the NHL, I think that's the biggest thing that I have to think about."
– Ville Koivunen
Back
home in Oulu, Koivunen spends his summer maintaining a consistent
training regimen while reconnecting with friends and family. “I just try
to practise hard, train hard and also be with my friends – hang out
with them,” he said. “I haven’t seen them the whole season, so that’s a
lot of fun. Also, with my girlfriend, I try to do something with her and
hang out with my family, too. I don’t see them a lot, either, so I try
to be with them. I also like to play every kind of ball game. I like to
play tennis, golf and also floorball sometimes.”
Koivunen is in a
prime position to benefit from a change in philosophy within a Penguins
front office that is increasingly focused on the future. With the Pens’
youth movement intermingling with the Crosby-led legacy squad, Koivunen
has every opportunity to establish himself as much more than an everyday
NHLer. “I just try to make the team,” Koivunen said of his mindset
going into next season. “In the NHL, I think that’s the biggest thing
that I have to think about. I just try to make the team.”
This article
appeared in our 2025 Champions issue. Our cover story focuses on
the 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, specifically the elite
play of defenseman Seth Jones, along with a recap of each game of the
Cup final. We
also include features on Sharks center Will Smith and Kraken defenseman
Ryker Evans. In
addition, we give our list of the top 10 moments from the 2024-25 NHL
season.
You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.
