Last night down on the farm in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Penguins' prospect Ville Koivunen had a night to remember, notching four goals in the Penguins' 9-0 win over the Hershey Bears.
Reigning back-to-back Calder Cup (AHL) champions Hershey Bears (#ALLCAPS) lost today to the WBS Penguins … 9-0.
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) January 30, 2025
Bears came into tonight top of the East and second overall in the AHL. Ouch. pic.twitter.com/1zrQIPQk5u
Koivunen came into the 2024-25 season as the Penguins' 2nd highest ranked prospect, and he's showing an innate scoring ability that will be very valuable for the NHL club in coming years.
Acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in the Jake Guentzel trade, Koivunen was excess goods in the Canes' system. Since Pittsburgh has had a bottom tier prospect pool for many years, it's exciting to see development at the AHL level that could translate to NHL production soon.
Just look at these goals. None of them are cheapies.
All 4️⃣ of Ville Koivunen's goals from tonight in 1️⃣ place.@WBSPenguins | #HERvsWBS pic.twitter.com/MOuRXXuQ2s
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) January 30, 2025
Coming from Finland, the 21 year-old always had an offensive presence about him, but translating to the North American game can be a challenge for offensive players from Scandanavia. It hasn't seemed to be much of a problem for him, which should make Penguins fans excited.
His four goals last night came against the back-to-back Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears, which makes the feat even more impressive. Koivunen now has 14 goals and 21 assists in 37 games for WBS.
Don't look now, but Ville Koivunen leads all AHL rookies in points (35). He is also tied for first among rookies in assists (21), power-play assists (10) and ranks second in goals (14).
— Nick Hart (@_NickHart) January 30, 2025
It's safe to say that his first season in affiliated hockey is going well. His level of play is reminiscent of Jake Guentzel right before he was called up in 2017. Koivunen is truly the best goal-creating prospect the Penguins have had since Jake 'N Bake.
Prospects are always a mixed bag when it comes to hockey. Some light up minor league levels but can't translate it to the NHL. Other have the opposite effect - they simply exist, get a random callup, and never get sent back down.
Ville Koivunen has a lot riding on him, and Penguins fans should rightly be excited about the possibility that he's called up at the end of this season. The youth movement is coming very soon, and while the NHL Penguins aren't thriving, good things are on the horizon for the black and gold.