Penguins Prospect Ville Koivunen Gaining Hype

While moving Jake Guentzel wasn't a deal done lightly, it appears the Penguins may have landed a potential future star in return in Ville Koivunen.

Some Penguins fans may have seen the return for a star like Jake Guentzel as a light one, but now it appears as though Ville Koivunen is breaking out as a potential future star in the NHL. The deal for Guentzel included Ville Koivunen along with Michael Bunting and Vasily Ponomarev, along with several draft picks, but it's Koivunen that's giving Penguins fans the most optimism.

The 20-year old center was a second-round pick, No. 51 overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2021 NHL Draft, and after two solid seasons, it appears that he's now starting his breakout campaign. In 59 games played for Karpat in the SM-Liiga (the top league in Finland), Ville Koivunen has tallied an impressive 22 goals and 56 points, with his potential taking a massive leap, as many now view him as a potential future star in the NHL.

Plenty of scouts around the world have taken note of the jumps both physically and mentally that Koivunen has made in 2023-24, and with some AHL experience under his belt a season ago, it's safe to say that Pittsburgh Penguins fans will want to see him in the United States very, very soon.

The Penguins are still looking to compete for a Stanley Cup with the star trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, the breakout season of Koivunen has certainly helped them restock their chest of future assets. They'll need more than just him to build a lineup for a future without Crosby and co., but it's certainly a good start from a blockbuster deal by Kyle Dubas.

Source: Big Hype Prospects: Bourque, Levshunov, Fowler, Koivunen