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…