Koivunen not feeling tension in the wake of being procured by Penguins in Guentzel exchange

The 21-year-old forward was gained in a high-profile exchange on Walk 7 that sent forward Jake Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith to the Carolina Tropical storms. Koivunen came to the Penguins with individual forward possibilities Vasily Ponomarev and Cruz Lucius, forward Michael Hitting and two picks in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Guentzel came out on top for a Stanley Cup title with Pittsburgh as a youngster in 2017. He had 466 focuses (219 objectives, 247 aids) 503 ordinary season games before the exchange, generally playing left wing on the primary line with focus Sidney Crosby.

Considered an essential piece of the return for the Penguins, Koivunen would be completely justified to feel constrained. As of now, he doesn’t.

“No, I don’t feel the strain yet – – basically this late spring,” Koivunen said July 6. “Perhaps when the season begins, perhaps then, at that point. In any case, not yet.”

Koivunen, from Oulu, Finland, was sleeping when the exchange became official. A notice in a gathering talk made it known.

“I was really stunned. ‘What’s going on now?'” said Koivunen, who was chosen by the Typhoons in the subsequent round (No. 51) of the 2021 NHL Draft. “Following a little while, I was really energized that occurred and to be essential for this association.”

Last season, Koivunen (6-foot, 172 pounds) had 56 focuses (22 objectives, 34 aids) 59 customary season games with Karpat of Liiga, the top proficient hockey association in Finland, and added 13 focuses (five objectives, eight aids) 12 postseason games. That was up from 28 places (12 objectives, 16 aids) 52 normal season games in 2022-23.

Koivunen joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey Association for two games last postseason and had one objective and one help.

The experience of playing expertly in the AHL and Finland has been priceless, Koivunen said.

“It’s dependably somewhat more earnestly, obviously,” Koivunen said. “Folks are serious areas of strength for really astute. They don’t commit a lot of errors. It’s good times.”

The Penguins were dazzled with Koivunen’s hockey sense in restricted AHL experience, partner head supervisor Jason Spezza said.

“I think he thinks the game at an exceptionally undeniable level,” Spezza said. “I believe he’s ready to control protectors with unpretentious developments. He’s extremely perilous on the strategic maneuver, coming downhill. … He’s ready to make plays at a speedy speed. I figure the significant piece of advancement for him would be simply getting the speed of his skating up, more grounded.

“The arena closes on you somewhat faster in the American (Hockey) Association and the NHL (when contrasted with Finland). So we’ll assist him with that progress. Yet, with the hockey intelligence level, I feel that is the astonishing part with us.”

Assuming that it depended on Koivunen, his movement would go on in the NHL.

Be that as it may, holding up is important for the cycle. Like different parts of the game, Koivunen said it’s something he comprehends.

“Obviously I need to play in the NHL,” Koivunen said. “Each person here needs to play there. I need to try sincerely and play great. It will be far, yet I’ll really buckle down.