Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Joona Koppanen
With little to no expectation of qualifying for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins again have the opportunity to try a few pieces in preparation for next year’s roster. Depth forward Joona Koppanen will get another chance for an informal tryout on the NHL roster as he’s been recalled by the Penguins.
Koppanen was reassigned to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins only a few days ago in a corresponding move to bring Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty to the NHL roster. The Tampere, Finland native no longer carries any fervor as a prospect in Pittsburgh’s developmental pipeline, but he could represent an interesting option for the team’s bottom six next season.
Unfortunately, Koppanen has never received an extended look at the NHL level. Dating back to his time in the Boston Bruins organization, Koppanen has only played in 14 games in the sport’s highest league, tallying one goal and one assist while averaging 11:13 of ice time.
Still, he’s been nothing if not consistent at the AHL level. His two best years in the AHL came during his last two with Boston, scoring 23 goals and 65 points in 126 contests with a +28 rating. Koppanen proved he could be counted upon for modest secondary scoring and showed a keen ability to care for the puck in the defensive zone.
Due to a handful of call-ups during his time with Pittsburgh, he hasn’t reached the point totals he had with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Still, he’s managed 13 goals and 43 points in 113 games as an AHL Penguin, with a +2 rating.
With less than 10 games remaining on their schedule for the 2024-25 season, it can’t hurt the Penguins to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Koppanen is eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer, and Pittsburgh could use the last portion of the regular season to determine if he’s worth retaining for next year.
Penguins Recall Ville Koivunen And Rutger McGroarty, Joona Koppanen Re-Assigned
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they’ve recalled forward prospects Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty while also re-assigning forward Joona Koppanen to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. The timing of the recalls is of note as the Penguins have looked lifeless in their last two games, losing to Tampa Bay and Buffalo by a combined score of 13-4.
McGroarty was acquired by the Penguins last summer from the Winnipeg Jets for forward Brayden Yager and made the team out of training camp but struggled to produce with no points in three NHL games. He was then sent to the AHL where he continued to struggle offensively, posting just a single assist in his first eight games. However, since November 9th, McGroarty has tallied 14 goals and 24 assists in 52 games and has looked dominant at times, displaying the skillset that made him the 14th overall pick in 2022.
Koivunen was acquired by the Penguins last March in the trade that sent forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes. The deal is looking like a massive win for Pittsburgh as Koivunen has been exceptional this year in the AHL tallying 21 goals and 34 assists in 62 games. The 21-year-old brings a skill level that the Penguins hadn’t had in a prospect in nearly two decades and will get his first taste of NHL action after earning this recall. Koivunen currently leads the AHL Penguins in scoring and has done so in his first full season of hockey in North America.
Koppanen returns to the AHL where he has spent the bulk of this season and his professional career. The 27-year-old did dress in five NHL games for Pittsburgh and managed to score his first NHL goal on March 18th against the New York Islanders. Koppanen has appeared in 53 AHL games this season where he has six goals and 15 assists as well as a +7 plus/minus.
The Penguins are all but assured of missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year and with these callups, they will have an opportunity to see how close some of their top prospects are for NHL action next season.
Penguins Recall Joona Koppanen
The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Joona Koppanen from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. The 27-year-old’s recall is on an emergency basis, and he will likely serve as insurance when the Penguins take on the New York Islanders this evening. Koppanen is in the second season of a two-year, two-way contract he signed with the Penguins back on July 1st, 2023.
Koppanen dressed in four games for the Penguins last season, tallying no points while playing 7:49 per game. It wasn’t his first taste of NHL action as the native of Tampere, Finland also played five games for the Boston Bruins during the 2022-23 season. He has never produced much offense at any level and has just a single assist in nine career NHL games.
In the AHL this season, Koppanen has served as a depth player for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, registering six goals and 15 assists in 53 games. His scoring numbers are almost a mirror image of last year’s totals which were six goals and 15 assists in 58 games.
The 6’5” Koppanen has been an AHL regular since the 2018-19 season, spending most of his career with the Providence Bruins. Despite a slow start offensively in his first four seasons, he has rounded into more of a contributor in recent years, topping 30 points twice with Providence. In 356 career AHL games, Koppanen has posted 51 goals and 84 assists.
While Koppanen might not see game action during his recall, he is coming into Pittsburgh on a bit of a heater, having notched two goals and three assists in his past four games.
Penguins Place Joona Koppanen On Waivers, Recall Filip Kral
2:29 p.m.: Koppanen cleared waivers as expected, per PuckPedia.
7:41 a.m.: The Pittsburgh Penguins placed depth forward Joona Koppanen on waivers on Monday, per PuckPedia. To fill his roster spot, the Penguins have also recalled defenseman Filip Kral to the NHL roster per the AHL Transaction Log. This move represents Koppanen’s first waiver designation, and Kral’s first call-up, of the 2024-25 season.
Koppanen began the season with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and stayed buried in the minors for the bulk of the year. He recorded seven goals and 22 points in 55 AHL games, one point more than he managed in three more games last season. Those appearances were intercut by 10 games in a fourth-line role with the Pittsburgh lineup. Koppanen performed quietly in his NHL minutes – though he did manage to score his first NHL goal in his first NHL game of the season, on March 18th. That would go down as his only scoring for the six-foot-five, Finnish forward. Teams will have until noon today to place a claim on Koppanen, though it seems much more likely that he’ll clear waivers and return to the minor leagues.
This move could also award Kral with just the third NHL game of his career. The Czech defenseman has scored seven goals and 29 points in 59 AHL games this season, good for second on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton blue-line. He’s in his first year in the Penguins organization, after departing the Toronto Maple Leafs organization in favor of Finland’s Liiga last season. It proved a fruitful move – and Kral posted 37 points in 46 Liiga games after starting the year with six points in 24 AHL games. He has seemed to carry that responsible, heads-up scoring back to North America. Pittsburgh will test that out with this call-up, giving Kral a chance to record his first NHL point after appearing in two games and recording one penalty with the Maple Leafs in 2022-23. Kral was originally a fifth-round pick to Toronto in 2018.
Waiver Wire: 10/4/24
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman all 17 players on waivers yesterday have cleared. There are again several players to hit the wire today as reported by Friedman:
Anaheim Ducks
Boston Bruins
G Michael DiPietro
F Vinni Lettieri
D Jordan Oesterle
Florida Panthers
Los Angeles Kings
New Jersey Devils
F Justin Dowling
F Mike Hardman
F Samuel Laberge
F Nathan Légaré
F Maxwell Willman
Philadelphia Flyers
F Olle Lycksell
F Anthony Richard
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Emil Bemström
D Nate Clurman
F Jonathan Gruden
F Joona Koppanen
D Filip Král
D John Ludvig
F Samuel Poulin
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Washington Capitals
Penguins Likely To Move Alex Nedeljkovic, Make Several Roster Moves
The Penguins moved out Jake Guentzel last night and it appears he won’t be the only rental on the move. Rob Rossi of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that they’re likely to move goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic before the 2 PM CT deadline.
Nedeljkovic spent most of last year in the minors but has been a full-timer with Pittsburgh this season, faring relatively well in the backup role. Through 21 games so far this season, the 28-year-old has a 2.87 GAA and a .908 SV%, his best numbers since his rookie campaign back in 2020-21.
While the goalie market has had a few big names in there, talk of some of those names moving has started to die off. Instead, the goalies that move might be short-term rentals and Nedeljkovic on an expiring $1.5MM contract fits right into that category. There are playoff-bound teams that could use an upgrade at the backup goalie position and he would fit the bill so GM Kyle Dubas should be able to find a suitable return for his services.
While not consequential after the 23-player roster limit that was lifted this morning, they also cleared a roster spot by placing winger Jansen Harkins on injured reserve, per CapFriendly. The 26-year-old winger has just four points in 43 games this season and did not return to last night’s game against the Capitals after a fight.
Meanwhile, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that forwards Valtteri Puustinen, Joona Koppanen, and Jonathan Gruden were all assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Those moves were needed to get them back into salary cap compliance after losing Guentzel’s LTIR buffer in the swap yesterday. Puustinen has played in 31 games with Pittsburgh so far this season, notching 13 points and seems like a likely candidate to be recalled after the trade deadline if they have cap room. Gruden, meanwhile, has a goal in nine NHL appearances while Koppanen has been held off the scoresheet in his four contests.
Metropolitan Notes: Seeler, Koppanen, Acciari
One of the most popular names on the rumor mill may be out until the trade deadline. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic is reporting that defenseman Nick Seeler of the Philadelphia Flyers will be out for a short period with an injury and that the injury is not serious.
In now his third season with the Flyers organization, Seeler has taken upon more responsibility this year, averaging nearly 17 minutes a night for the first time in his career. A valuable shutdown defenseman, Seeler sits first on the team in blocked shots with 184, and first on the team amongst defensemen in hits with 112 on the year up to this point.
As a pending unrestricted free agent, Philadelphia is at least gauging the trade interest across the league for Seeler’s services, but are notably asking for a first-round pick in return. If the Flyers asking price is not met, they will carry Seeler and pending UFA Sean Walker into the postseason as they currently sit comfortably in third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Other Metropolitan notes:
- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Noel Acciari is being evaluated for an upper-body injury and will not play tonight according to a team announcement. Acciari’s absence will open up a spot in the bottom six of Pittsburgh’s forward core, allowing the team to make a call-up. In 45 games for the Penguins this season, Acciari has averaged a total of 13 minutes of ice time per night, scoring two goals and five points overall.
- To fill the void left by Acciari, the Penguins have called up forward Joona Koppanen from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (X Link). Koppanen has already played in three games for Pittsburgh this year, registering zero points overall. At the AHL level, Koppanen has seen plenty of action, suiting up in 49 games for WBS, scoring five points and 16 points up to this point.
Penguins Recall Three Players, Place Noel Acciari On IR
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ bottom two lines will have a very different look tonight when they take on the Florida Panthers. The Penguins are desperate to turn things around after a very poor showing against the Tampa Bay Lightning two nights ago and are hoping a shakeup in their bottom six can fix some of their issues. Today the Penguins announced that they’ve recalled forwards Marc Johnstone, Jonathan Gruden, and Valtteri Puustinen from their AHL affiliate.
Johnstone is in his first year with the Penguins organization after signing a two-year, two-way contract on July 2nd. At 27 years old he has never dressed in an NHL game before, meaning he could see his first NHL action in a Penguins jersey. Thus far this season the native of Cranford, New Jersey has two goals and three assists at the AHL level in 21 games.
Gruden was acquired by the Penguins from the Ottawa Senators in the Matt Murray trade back in October 2020 after he was selected in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL entry draft. He dressed in three NHL games in Pittsburgh last season tallying zero points while averaging just over five minutes of ice time per game. In the AHL this season, Gruden has registered five goals and five assists in 21 games.
Puustinen is probably the most intriguing of the three call-ups as he has the longest track record of offensive success at the AHL level. He has started slowly this year with just five goals and five assists in 18 games but does have one NHL game under his belt back in 2022. In his only NHL action Puustinen recorded an assist in just over ten minutes of action.
The recalls demonstrate just how desperate the Penguins are to find a fix to their bottom six woes. Pittsburgh hasn’t been able to find much success outside of their top two lines, and with injuries to Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, their lack of NHL quality depth is beginning to become apparent.
In a corresponding move, the Penguins also assigned forwards Alex Nylander and Joona Koppanen to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. Many thought that Nylander turned a corner at the end of last season, but his play this year has been uninspired. He had no points in five games during this recall and looked overwhelmed on most of his shifts. Koppanen didn’t fare any better, going pointless in three games. He struggled on the Penguins’ fourth line with Pittsburgh unable to generate much of anything offensively with the 25-year-old on the ice.
Finally, the Penguins also announced that they’ve placed center Noel Acciari on the injured reserve. Acciari struggled to start the season but was starting to settle in on the fourth line when he was hurt. He also found a role on the Penguins penalty kill which has been one of the few bright spots for the Penguins this season. Acciari has been unable to dress in the Penguins past three games and won’t be eligible to get back in the lineup until next Tuesday. In 22 games this season, the 32-year-old has two goals and one assist while averaging over 12 minutes of ice time per game.
Penguins Recall Joona Koppanen
The Penguins have added an extra forward to their roster in advance of tonight’s game against Philadelphia as they announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Joona Koppanen from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Pittsburgh had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to add him to the active roster.
The 25-year-old spent six years in Boston’s system before becoming a Group Six unrestricted free agent back in July. He quickly found a new home with Pittsburgh inking him to a two-year contract on the opening day of free agency. That contract is a two-way agreement for this season before converting to a one-way pact for 2024-25.
Koppanen has five games at the NHL level under his belt, all coming with the Bruins last season where he had an assist, four penalty minutes, and a faceoff success rate of nearly 57% while playing just under 11 minutes per contest. He put up a career-best 35 points with AHL Providence last season but has struggled offensively this year, collecting just three goals and three assists so far through 18 games. Nevertheless, his ability to play center and take draws has made him a viable recall option although it remains to be seen if he’ll suit up against the Flyers tonight.
Waivers: 10/05/23
Another set of familiar and intriguing players are set to hit the waiver wire this afternoon, with the Seattle Kraken containing the most quantity of any organization. Per James Mirtle of The Athletic, the entire list is as follows:
Calgary Flames
D Nick DeSimone
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen
F Martin Pospisil
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Andreas Johnsson
F Joona Koppanen
F Alexander Nylander
Seattle Kraken
D Connor Carrick
F Cameron Hughes
F Kole Lind
F Max McCormick
D Gustav Olofsson
F Andrew Poturalski
D Mitch Reinke
D Jimmy Schuldt
F Devin Shore
F Marian Studenic