Penguins Sign Forward Ville Koivunen to an Eight-Year Contract
ByPittsburgh Penguins
August 06, 2026
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed restricted free agent forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year contract, it was announced today by President of Hockey <a href="https://todaytrendnews7.com/exxonmobil-picks-sercels-marlin-for-guyana-offshore-operations/” title=”ExxonMobil Picks Sercel's Marlin for Guyana Offshore Operations”>Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas
The contract runs through the 2033-34 season and carries an average annual value of $4 million
Koivunen, 23, spent the 2025-26 season split between Pittsburgh and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). With Pittsburgh, he notched seven points (2G-5A) in 39 games and also had 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points in 34 games with WBS. He led the WBS Penguins in assists (28), ranked second in points (41) and had the highest points-per-game average on the team (1.21). Koivunen was named AHL Player of the Month for February after notching 16 points (6G-10A) in 11 games. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, he was tied for second on WBS with nine points (4G-5A) in 15 games, helping them reach the Conference Finals.
The 6-foot, 184-pound forward has recorded 14 points (2G-12A) in 47 games across parts of two seasons in the NHL with Pittsburgh. In the AHL, Koivunen has 98 points (35G-63A) in 109 career games, split between Chicago and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He also notched 13 points (5G-8A) in 19 career Calder Cup playoff games. He was named to the 2025 AHL All-Rookie Team, and was the January 2025 AHL Rookie of the Month
Prior to coming to North America, Koivunen spent three seasons with Kärpät in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland, from 2021-24. The forward had 113 points (45G-68A) in 164 career games with Kärpät which was the highest point total by a player on the team in that span
The Oulu, Finland native has represented his home country at various tournaments in his career. He skated in the 2021 World Under-18 Championship and twice at the World Junior Championship in 2022, where he helped his team win a silver medal, and 2023 where he served as an alternate captain of Team Finland
Koivunen was originally drafted by Carolina in the second round (51st overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft, and was acquired by Pittsburgh in a trade with Carolina on March 7, 2024
