Shocking Development: Penguins calling up two top prospects from Wilkes-Barre

After back-to-back blowout losses, the Pittsburgh Penguins are recalling two top prospects from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the join the NHL club in a move nobody saw coming.

The callups include Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, effectively the organization's two best prospects.

I can't stress enough how shocking these moves are. The WBS Penguins are right in the thick of a legitimate playoff push, and stripping away two of their best players so they can join the NHL club committed to losing the rest of the way is utterly confusing.

Regardless, this is what Penguins fans have been asking for all season: the youth movement.

This is the future of the Penguins franchise, and no matter how confusing the move is, it warrants a bit of excitement knowing that the Baby Penguins are going to get looks in the NHL this season. Let's break down each callup.

Rutger McGroarty

McGroarty had a cup of coffee with the Penguins earlier this year, recording zero points in three games. It seemed as though the organization was excited for him to contribute to the NHL club after being acquired from Winnipeg for Brayden Yager, a former top prospect.

However, that experiment didn't last long and McGroarty was sent to WBS.

In 60 games with WBS this season, McGroarty has 14 goals and 25 assists. Admittedly, those numbers don't look very impressive, but as the second half of the season came around McGroarty got hot for the Baby Penguins and flashed the potential the everyone's been hoping for.

It's looking like McGroarty will make his NHL reemergence on his 21st birthday on Sunday, March 30th against the Senators. The bottom line on Rutger is that while he needs to show consistency in terms of production, he's still very young and has time to develop.

Ville Koivunen

We've talked a lot about Ville Koivunen on this page, and for good reason. He's asserting himself as one of the greatest rookie performers in WBS history and is 6th in points amongst all AHL players.

Acquired from Carolina in the Jake Guentzel trade, the Finn has 21 goals and 34 assists in 62 games played this season and will be 22 years old at the start of next hockey season.

Koivunen has the potential to be a star in the NHL. Confidence exudes from his being and he's the type of guy looking to have control of the puck when the game's climax arrives.

Of all the prospects to be excited about seeing in Pittsburgh, Koivunen might have the highest ceiling. While this callup might be temporary, there's a possibility we don't see him back with WBS again if he lights it up in this stint.

An Additional Callup for WBS

More exciting news coming from the Penguins organization is the announcement of Harrison Brunicke joining the WBS Penguins for their Calder Cup push.

Brunicke, 18, has displayed great offensive production in the WHL, logging 25 assists and five goals in 41 games. He was the Penguins' second round draft selection in 2024 and looks to be the future of the Pittsburgh blue line.

With the Penguins' defensive struggles this season, Brunicke making his way up the ladder is quite exciting, especially given that he would decrease the average age of our defensemen by about a decade.

Final Thoughts on the Transactions

It seems as though the callups for McGroarty and Koivunen are temporary if I had to guess. The Penguins have had the injury bug amongst forwards with Evgeni Malkin being out for several games. Joona Koppanen was sent down as a corresponding move as well.

That tells me that Rutger and Ville will be in Pittsburgh for a short amount of time, and I hope in that time they find success before heading back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and try to win a Calder Cup for the first time in their history.

The last thing I want to see is these two futures join a struggling team and hurt their confidence. If their stay is extended through the rest of the season, I'd be a little surprised.

It's an interesting transaction, and while it does give us a sneak peak into the future of the Penguins, I would almost rather McGroarty and Koivunen be playing in meaningful games, not trying to sell the tank in the final weeks of the season.

With McGroarty looking for his first NHL goal and Koivunen set to make his NHL debut, Sunday against Ottawa should be a fun watch.