Two top forward prospects - both acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade last season - are making some noise at the AHL level

Even if the Pittsburgh Penguins seem to be losing hope for the 2024-25 season, there is a lot of hope for the very near future of Penguins hockey.

And that manifested itself in an historic night for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins.

On Wednesday, Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate routed the Hershey Bears, 9-0, and they were led by two key forward prospects brought over in the Jake Guentzel deal at the 2024 NHL trade deadline. 

Ville Koivunen scored four goals for WBS, while Vasily Ponomarev registered a hat trick. Each player had already registered a hat trick earlier in the season.

Koivunen, 21, was perhaps the biggest component of the Guentzel trade, and he is not disappointing this season for WBS. He has 14 goals and 35 points in 37 games as an AHL rookie, and he leads all AHL rookies in both points and assists.

And none of his four goals on the night were "cheapies," either. He had two nasty breakaway goals, as well as two rockets for tallies:

Ponomarev, 22, is arguably Pittsburgh's most NHL-ready prospect. He spent a brief three-game stint with the NHL club earlier this season and recorded no points, but he's been a very reliable, productive player for WBS. 

He has 10 goals and 24 points in 28 AHL games this season, including three power play goals and two shorthanded goals. 

With the Pittsburgh Penguins mired in a 3-7-3 stretch during the month of January - and currently sitting eight points out of a wild card spot - the team figures to sell off most of its pending unrestricted free agent contracts. This may pave the way for players like Koivuen and Ponomarev to see NHL ice before the end of the season.