This Penguins prospect has a golden opportunity in front of him.
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced some notable injury news over the weekend, as Rickard Rakell will be out for the next six to eight weeks after undergoing hand surgery. With the Penguins having a strong start to the season, losing one of their top forwards like Rakell is certainly a tough blow.
With Rakell being out long-term, the Penguins recalled forward prospect Ville Koivunen from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. With this, the young forward now has the opportunity to try to prove to the Penguins that he is ready to be a full-time NHL player.
Koivunen demonstrated promise this past season when called up to Pittsburgh's roster, as he recorded seven assists in eight games. He also has been fantastic at the AHL level with Wikes-Barre/Scranton, posting four goals and 11 points in six games so far this season. This is after he had 21 goals and 56 points in 63 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2024-25.
It will now be very interesting to see how Koivunen performs after landing his latest call-up to Pittsburgh. There is no question that the exciting prospect has a big opportunity in front of him.