Ville Koivunen put in the hours last weekend.
And the miles.
First, on Saturday, the Penguins rookie forward drove five-plus hours and more than 300 miles from Pittsburgh to Toronto — he was transported, via car service, to be precise — following being a healthy scratch for a 5-4 home shootout win against the Winnipeg Jets.
Having been formally assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday, he physically joined the American Hockey League affiliate (AHL) for a road contest against the Toronto Marlies.
After the AHL Penguins claimed a 4-3 road win at the Coca-Cola Coliseum, Koivunen and company hopped on a bus and trekked more than six hours and another 300-plus miles to Wilkes-Barre later in the day.
Any promise of avoiding the roads on Monday wasn’t to be.
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin was hobbled by an undisclosed injury and Koivunen was summoned to the NHL roster once again. This time, all he had to devote to this journey was four hours and change, along with just under 300 miles.
“It’s been different,” Koivunen said on Tuesday morning in Cranberry, once he was formally recalled. “A lot of miles, for sure.”
And some frustration, for sure, as well.
Few players offered more intrigue entering this season than Koivunen.
Part of the highly-scrutinized trade that sent All-Star forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes in March of 2024, the Finnish-born Koivunen made his North American debut last season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, then tantalized with a productive run at the end of the regular season with the NHL club, posting seven assists in eight games.
At the dawn of the current season, Koivunen opened the season with a prominent assignment next to franchise center Sidney Crosby on the left wing of the top line (Guentzel’s old gig).
After unsatisfactory results, Koivunen was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 11.
Over six games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Koivunen was highly productive, generating 11 points (four goals, seven assists). That led to him being recalled by Oct. 26.
Primarily deployed on the third line with the NHL club, Koiuvnen posted a mere five points (two goals, three assists) in 25 games before being sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Jan. 8.
Once again, he was productive with the AHL club over the next two months, accruing 21 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 21 games.
Koivy nets his second goal in the first period too ‼️???? pic.twitter.com/yKnGoJegQv
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 19, 2026
On March 6, he was once again summoned to the NHL roster. In six games, he recorded two assists while primarily skating on the third line before his recreation of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” last weekend.
“I think the last six games I played here wasn’t that bad,” Koivunen said. “Was pretty good. So, I just try to play like that.”
Management seems satisfied with what Koivunen has offered under less than ideal circumstances.
“When he’s gone down for any significant amount of time — multiple games — all he’s done is gone down there and be a top player, not just on the team but in the league,” coach Dan Muse said. “Then, when he’s come up, even in this last stretch of games that he’s played, I think he’s attacking it more. He’s moving his feet. As soon as he gets the puck, he’s attacking ice. He’s putting himself into good positions offensively. The chances have been there. That’s what we’re looking for.”
In total, Koivunen has been limited to seven points (two goals, five assists) in 35 games at the NHL club. Those tabulations are hardly what was anticipated out of Koivunen entering the season.
But the 22-year-old remains a work in progress, especially as a player on an entry-level contract who does not require exposure to waivers for any assignment to a minor league affiliate.
“I do believe we’ve seen growth in his game over the course of this year,” Muse said. “The situation, it’s part of it. There’s going to be times with where he’s at right now, if he’s not playing here, we’ll want him playing down there. But I think we’ve seen growth and that’s positive.”
Koivunen doesn’t mask his thoughts about being shuffled between the NHL and AHL rosters so frequently. But he is pragmatic about where he is as an NHLer.
“A lot of ups and downs,” Koivunen said. “Not what I wanted. It’s been a little bit different. Not what I wanted. But it is what it is and I make the best of it.”
Note: The Penguins canceled a scheduled practice Friday. As such, no update was available on Crosby after he suffered an undisclosed injury during a 4-3 road shootout win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.