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Penguins Prospect Ville Koivunen Breaking Out In Second Half

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The NHL season has not gone according to plan for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have the third-oldest lineup in the league, but land in the bottom-10 of the standings with just 13 games left on the schedule. Staff and fans alike have started to turn their attention towards the future, evidenced by the team’s sale of Anthony Beauvillier, Luke Schenn, and Cody Glass for future assets at this year’s Trade Deadline. The moves have trained a bright spotlight on the Penguins’ deep prospect pool – and lucky for hopeful fans, wing prospect Ville Koivunen has shined.

Koivunen has been one of the hockey world’s hottest players in 2025. Playing for the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he has amassed 31 points in 31 games since the calendar turned over. That hot streak gives Koivunen 53 points in 58 games this season – most among any AHL rookie and fifth in the league as a whole. No other rookie ranks in the top 15 of scoring. Koviunen has blossomed into a star producer, on the back of a confidence that seems to grow every single game.

The Penguins certainly knew to have high hopes for Koivunen. He was the primary future asset in the 2024 Trade Deadline move that sent star scorer Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes. Pittsburgh also acquired NHL winger Michael Bunting, fellow prospects Vasiliy Ponomarev and Cruz Lucius, and a second-round draft pick in the trade. But with Bunting traded to the Predators one year later and Lucius missing the season to injury – it has been up to Koivunen and Ponomarev to prove general manager Kyle Dubas didn’t blunder in dealing away his 40-goal scorer.

That’s certainly a lofty bill to place on a 21-year-old forward. But Koivunen has answered the bell and then some. He’s found his AHL spark after spending the last three seasons dominating ice time with the Liiga’s Karpat, part of Finland’s top pro league. Koivunen scored 29 points in 53 games of his rookie Liiga season in 2021-22. That mark set him as the 20th-highest scoring U19 player in Liiga history behind a list full of NHL talent – including Joel Armia, Sami Vatanen, and Artturi Lehkonen directly ahead of him. Koivunen nearly matched that total again in the next year, netting 28 points in 52 games. But his struggle to cross the 30-point threshold was matched by just one goal in 12 AHL games at the end of the season.

Koivunen returned to the Liiga at the start of last season, with many holding their breath around his long-term scoring upside. Even as he started to find his footing at a pro level – netting 14 points in 20 games to start the season – fans still held back. But Koivunen’s wheels only got faster. He went on a spree of multi-point games through February and March of the 2023-24 season, ultimately ending the year with 56 points in 59 games – the most of any U22 Liiga player since 2000.

A breakout in Finland wasn’t going to be convincing on it’s own – but Koivunen is now nearly lapping his totals in the AHL. His ability as a spot shooter and fast-break scorer defined his draft-year excitement. He earned attention as a first-round candidate in the 2021 class, and ultimately fell to the Carolina Hurricanes with the 51st overall selection. Those defining traits have continued to grow in the years since – Koivunen has become a great sniper, with the ability to pick corners while flat-footed or moving at full speed. But, more excitingly, Koivunen has gone to lengths to round out his style. He’s become far more physical and confident when driving into space. And he’s found his poise as a playmaker – taking the time to slow down when entering the zone, and using strong stickhandling and skating to get the puck into a passing lane.

There are certainly long strides between Koivunen and the NHL. But he’s become a lethal asset in the offensive zone. His shot can’t be left alone, but his ability to connect with his teammates is what has sparked a near point-per-game season. That ability held strong in the difficult move from Liiga to AHL, and should it hold through to the NHL – it’d be hard to think Koivunen couldn’t continue to dominate the scoresheet next on a top-six NHL line. After years of finding his footing, growing his role, and adapting his skills to a pro scene – Koivunen has fully broken out. He’s scoring at a point-per-game pace since the start of 2025, with no signs of slowing down as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton approaches a confident playoff bid. Koivunen hasn’t yet received the first in-season NHL call-up of his career – and at this rate, it appears he’ll be in the minors through the end of the season. But with a strong playoff performance, he could enter Pittsburgh’s 2025-26 training camp with his sails at full mast.

Tomáš Klouček Passes Away

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The NHL Alumni Association announced this afternoon that former NHL player Tomáš Klouček died Sunday in a skiing accident. He was 45 years old.

A Czechia native, Klouček spent his junior days in his hometown of Prague. He generated enough buzz there to get selected by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 1998 draft. He immediately made the jump to North America, playing a year of major junior hockey with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles before turning pro in the Rangers organization for the 1999-00 season. The heavy-hitting lefty made an impact out of the gate, posting 113 PIMs and a +22 rating in 73 games with AHL Hartford en route to a Calder Cup championship and an All-Rookie Team nod for his standout defensive play.

Klouček made the Rangers for the first time in 2000-01, and it ended up being the best season of his career. Making 43 appearances after an early-season recall, he averaged a career-high 16:43 per game and posted 1-4–5 with a minus-three rating – a respectable figure on the league’s worst defensive team that season – and 74 PIMs. After subsequent trades to the Predators and Thrashers, he totaled 2-8–10 with a minus-nine rating in 141 career appearances by the time his NHL career drew to a close in 2006.

Klouček remained in high-level leagues for another decade after playing his last NHL game. He spent 2006-07 with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, then affiliated with the Blue Jackets, before jumping back over the Atlantic to play with Czechia’s HC Zlín and then Barys Astana in the Kontinental Hockey League. He spent three years with the Kazakh club – more time spent with any team in his career other than Hartford – and posted 7-26–33 in 111 career KHL games.

The last few years of Klouček’s career were spent in his home country with HC Oceláři Třinec and the Jaromír Jágr-owned Rytíři Kladno, but also in neighboring Slovakia, where he won an Extraliga title with HC Kosice in 2014. He closed the book on his stint in pro hockey with France’s Epinal in the top-circuit Ligue Magnus in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

PHR sends our condolences to Klouček’s family, friends, and former teammates.

Gabriel Landeskog Ramping Up Participation In Avalanche Practice

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Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog continues to work toward a return from the lingering knee injuries that have kept him out of the lineup since the team’s 2022 Stanley Cup win. While the 2024-25 campaign has seen a lot of mixed messaging on his future, Landeskog skated with the team in practice today and was notably more active than he has been in previous attempts to return to the ice, Guerilla Sports’ Jesse Montano relays.

Landeskog has had multiple surgeries on his right knee, the most recent one being a last-resort cartilage transplant in the 2023 off-season. That procedure immediately ruled him out for the entire 2023-24 campaign with hopes he could return for 2024-25.

He began his on-ice rehab from that surgery over a year ago, returning to the ice for the first time in January 2024. Since then, he’s had multiple minor setbacks that have forced him to pause his recovery, including one early this season that nixed his optimism for a return.

Landeskog’s on-and-off participation this season has included a few practices and morning skates. Still, today’s session carried a noticeably higher level of engagement from the Swede than what he’s shown in recent months. The 32-year-old has said in the past his knee issues originated from a minor skate laceration from teammate Cale Makar in the 2020 bubble, which caused more damage to his interior cartilage and ligaments than initially diagnosed.

Of course, he’s still at least weeks away from returning – meaning his only option for a return this season will be in the playoffs. The Avalanche’s deadline activity made clear they’ve ruled out Landeskog for the remainder of the regular season, as his $7MM cap hit staying on long-term injured reserve is necessary for them to remain cap-compliant.

Overseas Notes: Raanta, Gélinas, Cramarossa

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Longtime NHL netminder Antti Raanta is in talks to join Swedish Hockey League club Linköping HC for 2025-26, Mattias Persson of Hockeynews.se reports. The 35-year-old Finn suited up for Genève-Servette in Switzerland this year after retiring from the NHL, posting a 2.74 GAA and .902 SV% in 24 games. The 2022 Jennings Trophy winner last played with the Hurricanes in 2023-24, a disastrous campaign that saw him land on waivers amid posting a .872 SV% in 24 games behind one of the league’s better defenses.

Here’s more on the international market:

  • Former Avalanche and Devils defenseman Éric Gélinas is staying in Finland with Liiga club Luuko for another season, the team announced. Gélinas, now 33, will suit up for the same team in back-to-back years for the first time since a four-year run with Sweden’s Rögle BK from 2018 to 2022. The 6’4″, 227-lb lefty with a booming slapshot was limited by injury to 21 games with Lukko this season but managed 6-11–17 for his best per-game offensive showing in quite some time. A second-round pick of New Jersey in 2009, Gélinas had 14-41–55 in 189 career NHL games with them and Colorado from 2013 to 2017.
  • Austria’s Vienna Capitals will not be renewing the contract of NHL veteran Joseph Cramarossa, the club announced earlier this week. Cramarossa, 32, signed on with the ICEHL club last offseason after parts of two seasons in Germany and posted 8-15–23 in 32 games. The center last touched NHL ice in 2022-23, suiting up four times for the Wild before they mutually terminated his contract for a mid-season move overseas. He has 5-8–13 in 68 NHL appearances with the Ducks, Canucks, and Wild – 59 of which came in the 2016-17 campaign.

Blue Jackets Notes: Greaves, Merzļikins, Christiansen, Gudbranson

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The Blue Jackets will start recently recalled netminder Jet Greaves in tonight’s key home game against the Devils, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports. Starter Elvis Merzļikins remains away from the team on personal leave as his wife is expecting a child, the team’s Jeff Svoboda confirmed over the weekend.

The 23-year-old Graves sat on the bench for Saturday’s shutout loss to the Rangers while watching Daniil Tarasov surrender three goals on 20 shots. The youngster temporarily supplanted Tarasov as Columbus’ No. 2 option behind Merzļikins earlier this year, earning a performance-based recall while the struggling Tarasov was sent to AHL Cleveland for conditioning.

Things have gone much better for Tarasov since the reset, although he still hasn’t gotten much playing time behind Merzļikins as the Jackets aim to grab a wild-card spot. His .850 SV% against the Blueshirts was his worst in his seven appearances since returning to the NHL squad. Greaves, who actually leads Columbus netminders with a .906 SV% and 2.98 GAA in five starts, will get the call instead as the Jackets look to end a three-game skid. A win against New Jersey puts them back into playoff position, knocking the Rangers down to ninth place in the East.

Here’s more on the Jackets:

  • As Svoboda relays from head coach Dean Evason, defenseman Jake Christiansen has been ruled out of tonight’s game and will miss his second straight contest with an upper-body injury. He remains day-to-day but practiced this morning, so he should be considered questionable to return Thursday against Florida. The 25-year-old has seen his minutes slashed recently, skating under 10 minutes on three occasions in nine games since the 4 Nations break. In his first season as an NHL full-timer, the 6’0″ lefty has 1-7–8 and a plus-eight rating in 65 games with underwhelming possession numbers and minimal special teams deployment.
  • Fellow rearguard Erik Gudbranson remains close to a return from shoulder surgery but also remains sidelined tonight, Svoboda said. Evason said last week the 33-year-old is on the verge of playing for the first time since October. His and Christiansen’s looming returns should help shore up a Columbus defense that’s allowing 33.6 shots per game since March 1, the worst in the NHL.

Five Key Stories: 3/10/25 – 3/16/25

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The stretch run is now in full swing with the playoffs just a little more than a month away.  Even with the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, there was still some news of note which is recapped in our key stories.

One More Year: Jonathan Quick’s career isn’t coming to an end just yet.  The Rangers are keeping the goaltender around for another year after they signed him to a one-year contract extension.  The deal will carry a cap hit of $1.55MM while it contains an additional $300K in performance incentives tied to starts, games played, save percentage, and wins.  Quick earns a raise for the second straight year as his initial year in New York saw him make $825K before bonuses while his guaranteed salary this season is $1.275MM.  The 39-year-old has a 3.14 GAA with a .896 SV% in 21 appearances in 2024-25, a notable drop-off in his numbers from a year ago.

Bad News For Hamilton: The week-to-week injury that Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton is dealing with may be better off being termed as month-to-month.  It was revealed that the veteran will miss the remainder of the regular season and at least the first round of the playoffs due to a lower-body injury sustained earlier this month.  That means he’ll miss at least two months with the issue.  The 31-year-old had an injury-riddled campaign last season that saw him play in just 20 games.  This season, Hamilton made it into 63 contests, notching 40 points in a little under 20 minutes a night of playing time.  With Jack Hughes also out for the year, New Jersey’s push for the playoffs will see them have to get in without two of their top-five scorers.

Ekblad Gets 20: Aaron Ekblad’s 2024-25 regular season came to an end much earlier than expected.  However, it wasn’t due to an injury.  Instead, the Panthers blueliner was given a 20-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.  The length of the suspension is fixed at 20 games for a first offense.  Ekblad released a statement indicating that the positive test stemmed from taking something to help him recover from recent injuries that he didn’t clear with team personnel first.  He will miss the final 18 games of the regular season as well as Florida’s first two playoff appearances.  Ekblad finishes the first part of the campaign with 33 points in 56 games as he gets set to test unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.

Kovalchuk Calls It A Career: Veteran winger Ilya Kovalchuk has hung up his skates, announcing his retirement at the age of 41.  In his prime, he was an elite winger with Atlanta before signing a long-term contract with New Jersey; the original 17-year agreement was deemed cap circumvention but a revised 15-year pact was approved.  (New Jersey’s final cap charge for salary cap recapture comes off the books after this season.)  But he left that contract after three seasons, going to the KHL for six seasons before a brief NHL return.  All told, Kovalchuk collected 443 goals and 423 assists in 926 NHL games over parts of 13 years along with 352 points in 334 contests in eight KHL campaigns.

Hill’s Sticking Around: The goaltending position in Vegas has been solidified for the long haul as the Golden Knights signed Adin Hill to a six-year, $37.5MM contract extension.  The deal, which carries a $6.25MM cap charge, is a nice raise from his current $4.9MM AAV while it also checks in a little ahead of former teammate Logan Thompson, who signed for $5.85MM per season in Washington on a new deal that starts next season.  Initially acquired as injury insurance back in 2022, Hill has worked his way from being a platoon netminder to a full-fledged starter and has posted a .910 SV% in his three seasons with the Golden Knights.  Hill received a partial no-trade clause as part of the contract, one that kicked in immediately.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Snapshots: Ersson, Penguins, Kovalenko

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Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson certainly hasn’t had it easy.  Thrust into the starting spot midseason in 2023-24 while still getting his feet wet in the NHL, he has been the undisputed number one since then.  But head coach John Tortorella indicated this weekend to reporters including Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia that the team is hoping they’ll be able to deploy him in more of a tandem role when their goaltending situation is finalized.  The hope was that Ivan Fedotov would be the other part of that platoon but he has struggled in his first full season in North America, as has youngster Aleksei Kolosov, calling into question if Ersson’s long-term platoon partner is either further away or outside the organization altogether.

More from around the NHL:

  • The daily transactions from Pittsburgh continue. Per the AHL transactions log, the Penguins have once again brought up winger Matt Nieto and defenseman Sebastian Aho from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis.  While the Pens aren’t obligated to keep shuffling the players back and forth on off days, doing so allows them to pause their respective waiver clocks each time they send them down.  Even with it being past the trade deadline, once they’re up for 30 days or play in 10 games, they’d have to get through waivers again to go back to the minors.
  • Following the recent acknowledgment that contract talks for Sharks winger Nikolai Kovalenko won’t start until after the season, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News wonders if the 25-year-old will be in San Jose’s plans moving forward. Since returning from a lower-body injury earlier this month, he’s only logging 11 minutes a game and was healthy scratched on Saturday.  With San Jose getting a look at some other players, it’s possible that they could determine that he’s not the right fit moving forward while his arbitration eligibility could also be a dissuading factor.  Kovalenko will be owed a qualifying offer of just under $814K and has 17 points in 49 games this season.

Atlantic Notes: Kulich, Peterka, Norris, Jokiharju

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Sabres forward Jiri Kulich has been placed in concussion protocol, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters today (video link).  He left yesterday’s game against Vegas early after taking a hit.  However, there’s some hope that it won’t be a long-term injury for the 20-year-old as Ruff wouldn’t rule out the possibility that Kulich could join the team at some point on their upcoming road trip.  Kulich has done pretty well in his rookie NHL season, tallying 12 goals and seven assists through 49 games while logging a respectable 14:23 per night of ice time.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Ruff’s presser also provided updates on two other injured Sabres. JJ Peterka skated before practice today and accompanied the team on the trip; Ruff wouldn’t rule out the winger returning to the lineup on Monday.  Peterka has missed the last two games due to a nagging injury, resulting in him slipping to third on the team in scoring with 51 points in 61 games.  Meanwhile, recently acquired center Josh Norris had treatment today on his undisclosed injury and was expected to accompany the team on their road trip but he’s not believed to be as close to returning as Peterka.  Norris has a goal and an assist in his first three outings in a Buffalo uniform.
  • Things have gone relatively well for new Bruins defenseman Henri Jokiharju. After playing time was quite hard to come by in Buffalo, the 25-year-old is logging over 20 minutes a night through his first four outings with Boston.  Accordingly, he told reporters including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald that he’s open to starting discussions on a contract extension already.  Jokiharju has a $3.1MM cap charge this season and will be slated to reach unrestricted free agency for the first time in July.  But with just seven points in 46 games this season and his limited role before the trade, it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to command a similar price tag this summer.

Zach Hyman Out Tonight For Oilers Despite Practicing Fully

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Oilers’ left winger Zach Hyman is out for tonight’s contest against the New York Rangers, despite being a full participant in practice this afternoon, per Oilers commentator Bob Stauffer.

Hyman was officially listed as a game-time decision after sustaining what appeared to be a potentially severe injury Friday night against the New York Islanders. Hyman’s injury occurred early in the game, and despite remaining on the bench the entire game, he played limited minutes all night. He finished with just 10:36 of total ice time, a starch contrast from his season average of 19:11.

While Hyman won’t suit up tonight, it is welcomed news for the Oilers that he is already a full participant in practice. Hyman has once again surpassed the 20-goal plateau this season slotted alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Conor McDavid. Although he’s down from last year’s monster numbers of 54 goals and 77 points, Hyman still serves as a key piece to Edmonton’s Stanley Cup aspirations. In 10 NHL seasons, Hyman has registered 225 goals and 436 points in 641 games. He has registered at least 20 goals in each of his four seasons with the Oilers and adds an incredible plus-149 rating in 296 games with the club.

His importance to the team was perhaps never higher than their run to the Stanley Cup finals last year. Hyman scored 16 goals and 22 points in the team’s 25 playoff games. His 16 goals set a record for single-postseason goals in the salary-cap era. Hyman will look to remain healthy and return to that type of form as the Oilers gear up for another deep run.

 

Golden Knights Hope William Karlsson’s Return Is Imminent

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The Vegas Golden Knights are believed to be close to getting forward William Karlsson back from injury, but he remains without a return date, per SinBin.vegas.

Karlsson hasn’t played since January 20th, when he sustained a lower-body injury against the St. Louis Blues. He was placed on LTIR on Feb. 7 to allow the club to make recalls and remain cap compliant. Karlsson’s season has been defined by injuries and uneven offensive play, as shown by his 18 points in 38 games on the year. He also missed the first eight games of the season with an undisclosed ailment. Prior to his most recent injury, Karlsson was going through a seven-game scoring slump, and registered just one assist in his last 10 games played. His elite-level defensive prowess has remained, aided by his 58.9 percent faceoff win-rate and plus-eight rating.

As SinBin.vegas notes, Karlsson has been with the team and was expected to play on their current road trip per quotes from GM Kelly McCrimmon and coach Bruce Cassidy. McCrimmon noted on March 7 that Karlsson “isn’t far away” from returning. That was later echoed by Cassidy on March 11, who noted his hopes of Karlsson returning at some point during the team’s road trip.

Since Karlsson’s injury, Vegas has managed a 14-10-4 record, but would no doubt be aided by his return. Karlsson is one year removed from a 30 goal, 30 assist season and should slot back into the club’s top line as Vegas looks ahead to the playoffs. Despite missing Karlsson for an extended period of time, Vegas still finds themselves in first place in the Pacific Division.

In 723 career NHL games, Karlsson has registered 435 points, of which 385 have come as a member of the Golden Knights. “Wild Bill” was selected by the Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft after being left exposed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Karlsson was a key part of the team’s Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first year of existence, scoring 43 goals and 78 points on the season, registering a league-high plus-49 rating, and capturing the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy along the way. He has added 65 points in 95 career playoff games with Vegas, all of which has solidified him as a fan-favorite in Sin City.

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