In a year of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey that is going to be weird and wonky, one player that I am super excited to watch is Ville Kouvinen.
Ever since the Penguins acquired Koivunen in that Jake Guentzel trade about a year and a half ago, I have been incredibly high on the kid. The fantastic Finn has shown he can compete at every level and in every league he has played in so far.
Two years ago, when Koivunen was back home playing in the Finnish league, he was just shy of a point-per-game season for his team, Kärpät. He finished the year with 22 goals and 34 assists (56 points) in 59 games. He was one point shy of the team lead in points, but did claim the highest assists figure that season.
He finished tied for sixth in league scoring as a 20 year old, and in the postseason that year, Koivunen tallied an additional five goals and eight assists (13 points) in 12 games.
After coming over to North America full time before last season, Koivunen also handled the challenge of the American Hockey League as well.
Making the transition from European to North American ice isn’t always that easy. The rink dimensions are different by the continent, and while we here at home look at the AHL as solely a minor league, it still is plenty tough to break your way in and make a name for yourself down there.
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Fifth Avenue Sports 