Ville Koivunen (born 13 June 2003) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).
| Ville Koivunen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Koivunen at the 2022 World Junior Championships | |||
| Born | 13 June 2003 Oulu, Finland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 161 lb (73 kg; 11 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams | Pittsburgh Penguins WBS Penguins (AHL) Oulun Kärpät | ||
| NHL draft | 51st overall, 2021 Carolina Hurricanes | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
Playing career
editDuring the 2020–21 season, he served as an alternate captain and recorded 23 goals and 26 assists in 38 games with Oulun Kärpät's junior team in Finland's top junior league, U20 SM-sarja. He was subsequently named the league's Rookie of the Year and selected to the Second All-Star Team after he ranked third in the league in goals and points.[1] He made his professional debut for Kärpät during the 2021–22 season.
Koivunen was drafted in the second round, 51st overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.[2] On 15 August 2021, the Hurricanes signed Koivunen to a three-year, entry-level contract.[3]
On 7 March 2024, Koivunen was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Michael Bunting, prospect Cruz Lucius, Vasili Ponomaryov and two conditional 2024 draft picks, in exchange for Jake Guentzel and Ty Smith.[4]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Finland | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 | 2022 Canada | |
Koivunen represented Finland under-18 team at the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships where he recorded four goals and six assists in seven games.[5] He represented Finland junior team at the 2022 World Junior Championships and won a silver medal.[6]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2020–21 | Oulun Kärpät | U20 | 38 | 23 | 26 | 49 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Oulun Kärpät | Liiga | 53 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Oulun Kärpät | Liiga | 52 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Oulun Kärpät | Liiga | 59 | 22 | 34 | 56 | 26 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 14 | ||
| 2023–24 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Liiga totals | 164 | 45 | 68 | 113 | 72 | 21 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 14 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Finland | U17 | 7th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2021 | Finland | U18 | 4th | 7 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Finland | WJC |  | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023 | Finland | WJC | 5th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 23 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 2 | ||||
References
edit- ^ Bell, Josh (26 March 2021). "Koivunen named U20 SM-sarja rookie of the year". nhlentrydraft.com. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Canes Select 13 Players on Second Day of Draft". NHL.com. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Canes Sign Ville Koivunen to Entry-Level Contract". NHL.com. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Penguins Acquire Forwards Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius and Conditional 2024 First-Round and Fifth-Round Draft Picks from the Carolina Hurricanes in Exchange for Jake Guentzel and Ty Smith". NHL.com. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ Bell, Josh (18 April 2021). "Tuomaala, Lambert headline Finland's U18 roster". nhlentrydraft.com. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "10 Canes Prospects Selected For World Juniors". NHL.com. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
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