Drive to the Net: Koivunen can 'play with big boys'
Nobody has appropriately and succinctly summed up Ville Koivunen's five games with the Penguins better than Erik Karlsson.
"He's figured out how to play with the big boys," Karlsson observed after the Penguins' 5-0 shutout of the Blackhawks here at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday.
Koivunen showed through these five games that he's needed zero adjustment period to settle into playing with top talent. The transition has been seamless. His first two games were alongside Rickard Rakell playing center, then his next two games came with Rakell on the wing and Evgeni Malkin at center after Malkin returned from injury. In both of the two games with Malkin, that line was the Penguins' best in terms of controlling the shot attempts, unblocked attempts and shots on goal. Koivunen was getting in position to get passes from Malkin and take some of those shots himself, but he was also showing an early ability to find Malkin and spark offense for him, too.
The Penguins kept the same top-six line combinations coming into Wednesday's game, but made a switch in the second period that allowed both of their young rookie forwards to gain experience playing with new centers -- Rutger McGroarty moved to Malkin's wing, and Koivunen moved up alongside Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust.
Almost immediately, the move paid off. Rust carried the puck through Chicago's end, found Koivunen at the right circle, and Koivunen set up Karlsson for a goal with a cross-ice feed:
"Rusty made a great forecheck there and passed me the puck," Koivunen said. "I wanted to shoot, but I had to pass because (Karlsson) was wide open."
The goal was Karlsson's 200th in the NHL -- a pretty cool milestone, especially considering he's only the second Swedish defenseman behind Nicklas Lidstrom to ever hit it. Karlsson brushed it off, questioning whether 200 is "actually a milestone." What he was sure about, though, was Koivunen's impact since joining the team.
"He's a skilled, young player," Karlsson said. "I think that from his first game to this game, he's getting more confident out there and building chemistry with guys and starting to figure the game out, which is what you're looking for. His potential to be a playmaker in this league is very high."
Koivunen had the awareness to make the play in that situation, but that's not to say he's not a shooter, too. He has shots in each of his five games, setting a new high with four shots in this one. Koivunen has three assists so far but is still searching for his first NHL goal, and it seemed like his teammates were doing what they could to get him that goal in this game.
"I think a little bit," Koivunen said when asked if he thought Crosby and Rust especially were pushing to help him get that first goal. "Sid tried to find me along the back door."
Koivunen has become a regular on the Penguins' top power-play unit, where he's fitting in with the "big boys" -- his fellow forwards on that unit are Crosby, Rakell and Rust. He's only seen just over 11 minutes total on the man advantage so far, but no other forward with 10+ minutes of power play time has been on the ice for better results. With Koivunen on the power play, the Penguins average 140 shot attempts per 60 minutes, 119 unblocked attempts, 86 shots on goal, and 16 goals, with Koivunen leading in each of those categories.
David Quinn, who coaches the power play, told me that Koivunen has the two keys that it takes to find success meshing with those top players "swagger" and "ability."
"If you're going to be successful in this league, you better think you're good with a little bit of humility, and he does," Quinn said. "He has both of that. He's a guy that plays with an awful lot of confidence and swagger, but there's a humility to him as well. When you think the game the way he does, it makes it look easy for him to step in the situation that we've put him in. But that being said, he's also earned this opportunity."
Koivunen has been one of the AHL's best rookies -- if not the best rookie -- this season, and that's why he's seeing these games in the NHL. But this isn't just a cup of coffee to reward him for a job well done in Wilkes-Barre. Koivunen has a real chance to push for a regular top-six NHL job out of camp next season, and that audition is already underway.
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
5:25 am - 04.09.2025UptownDrive to the Net: Koivunen can 'play with big boys'
Nobody has appropriately and succinctly summed up Ville Koivunen's five games with the Penguins better than Erik Karlsson.
"He's figured out how to play with the big boys," Karlsson observed after the Penguins' 5-0 shutout of the Blackhawks here at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday.
Koivunen showed through these five games that he's needed zero adjustment period to settle into playing with top talent. The transition has been seamless. His first two games were alongside Rickard Rakell playing center, then his next two games came with Rakell on the wing and Evgeni Malkin at center after Malkin returned from injury. In both of the two games with Malkin, that line was the Penguins' best in terms of controlling the shot attempts, unblocked attempts and shots on goal. Koivunen was getting in position to get passes from Malkin and take some of those shots himself, but he was also showing an early ability to find Malkin and spark offense for him, too.
The Penguins kept the same top-six line combinations coming into Wednesday's game, but made a switch in the second period that allowed both of their young rookie forwards to gain experience playing with new centers -- Rutger McGroarty moved to Malkin's wing, and Koivunen moved up alongside Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust.
Almost immediately, the move paid off. Rust carried the puck through Chicago's end, found Koivunen at the right circle, and Koivunen set up Karlsson for a goal with a cross-ice feed:
"Rusty made a great forecheck there and passed me the puck," Koivunen said. "I wanted to shoot, but I had to pass because (Karlsson) was wide open."
The goal was Karlsson's 200th in the NHL -- a pretty cool milestone, especially considering he's only the second Swedish defenseman behind Nicklas Lidstrom to ever hit it. Karlsson brushed it off, questioning whether 200 is "actually a milestone." What he was sure about, though, was Koivunen's impact since joining the team.
"He's a skilled, young player," Karlsson said. "I think that from his first game to this game, he's getting more confident out there and building chemistry with guys and starting to figure the game out, which is what you're looking for. His potential to be a playmaker in this league is very high."
Koivunen had the awareness to make the play in that situation, but that's not to say he's not a shooter, too. He has shots in each of his five games, setting a new high with four shots in this one. Koivunen has three assists so far but is still searching for his first NHL goal, and it seemed like his teammates were doing what they could to get him that goal in this game.
"I think a little bit," Koivunen said when asked if he thought Crosby and Rust especially were pushing to help him get that first goal. "Sid tried to find me along the back door."
Koivunen has become a regular on the Penguins' top power-play unit, where he's fitting in with the "big boys" -- his fellow forwards on that unit are Crosby, Rakell and Rust. He's only seen just over 11 minutes total on the man advantage so far, but no other forward with 10+ minutes of power play time has been on the ice for better results. With Koivunen on the power play, the Penguins average 140 shot attempts per 60 minutes, 119 unblocked attempts, 86 shots on goal, and 16 goals, with Koivunen leading in each of those categories.
David Quinn, who coaches the power play, told me that Koivunen has the two keys that it takes to find success meshing with those top players "swagger" and "ability."
"If you're going to be successful in this league, you better think you're good with a little bit of humility, and he does," Quinn said. "He has both of that. He's a guy that plays with an awful lot of confidence and swagger, but there's a humility to him as well. When you think the game the way he does, it makes it look easy for him to step in the situation that we've put him in. But that being said, he's also earned this opportunity."
Koivunen has been one of the AHL's best rookies -- if not the best rookie -- this season, and that's why he's seeing these games in the NHL. But this isn't just a cup of coffee to reward him for a job well done in Wilkes-Barre. Koivunen has a real chance to push for a regular top-six NHL job out of camp next season, and that audition is already underway.
Want to participate in our comments?
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Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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