Koivunen enjoying adustment to pro hockey in North America – Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice

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Making the switch from playing professional hockey in Finland to North America comes with a series of adjustments. So far, forward Ville Koivunen is tackling those challenges head-on in his first full season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Koivunen, 21, was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins leading up to the trade deadline last spring as part of the return in the Jake Guentzel trade to the Carolina Hurricanes. After a strong year in Finland’s top professional hockey league last season, a season in which he recorded 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) in 59 regular-season games in addition to 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 12 postseason games, he joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in time for the team’s brief appearance in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Though that AHL playoff experience was brief — the Penguins were swept in the opening round best-of-3 series — it was incredibly beneficial for Koivunen to get an early taste of pro hockey in North America in a high-stress environment. He scored a goal and added an assist, giving himself a first-hand look at what to expect this season.

“Of course it was huge,” Koivunen said of getting those two games in last spring. “When I came here (for this season) I know what to expect and what the game is going to be like here, so it helped me a lot.”

Koivunen has established himself as a playmaking forward who sees the ice extremely well in the offensive zone. He put his offensive vision on full display in the Penguins’ season opener at home against Charlotte last month, recording a game-high three assists.

After putting up five assists in his first six games this season, Koivunen started to find the back of the net himself. He scored goals in three of four games to end October and begin November.

“He’s so smart with the way he distributes pucks,” Penguins head coach Kirk MacDonald said. “I think trying to stress to him that you can be more of a shooting threat. He deserves all the credit in the world. He’s earned it.”

One of the adjustments Koivunen needs to make is the increased physical nature of the game as compared to what he was used to in Finland.

While not the biggest guy on the ice, Koivunen is cerebral player who uses his smarts to put himself in good position to maintain puck possession and find an open teammate when in the offensive zone.

“You see him in street clothes, and there’s not much to him,” MacDonald said. “He’s pretty skinny and a young guy still growing into his body, but he doesn’t lose puck battles on the ice. Like, he’s hockey strong.”

It’s easy to see Koivunen’s confidence with the puck and ability to make plays in tight spaces continue to grow and develop with each passing game. In his first 12 games this season, Koivunen has nine points (three goals, six assists) and seems to be adjusting to the smaller ice surface in North America just fine.

“Everything comes with more speed, and we go more forward,” he said. “In Finland, you can sometimes keep the puck and (skate) backwards, so that’s a little bit different. I like it here. I like the play style and what we’re doing here.”

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