Penguins sign 23-year-old Koivunen to eight-year deal
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins made a significant investment in their future on Thursday, signing forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year contract worth $4 million annually.
Koivunen, 23, was a restricted free agent. The deal signals Koivunen is an important part of the franchise as it navigates the twilight of the careers of icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
The Finnish-born Koivunen, acquired in a March 2024 trade with Carolina that sent Jake Guentzel to the Hurricanes, had two goals and five assists in 39 games with Pittsburgh during the 2025-26 season.
Koivunen, who is listed at 6-foot, 184 pounds, has recorded 14 points (2G-12A) in 47 games across parts of two seasons in the NHL with Pittsburgh.
Koivunen excelled in the playoffs for Wilkes-Barre, Pittsburgh’s American Hockey League affiliate, collecting four goals and five assists in nine games to help the club to the conference finals.
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.