Now that kid forwards Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty, arguably the crème of our prospect crop, have joined the Penguins, what can we reasonably expect from them?
Will they make a splash during these final eight games? Or will the results be more sobering?
Personally, I think we’ll need to temper our expectations.
As well as Koivunen and McGroarty have played down on the farm, there’s a huge gap between the NHL and the AHL.
Just ask present Pen Emil Bemström.
One level down, the Swedish sniper with the heavy shot is a scoring ace. In 76 career AHL games, Bemström has 47 goals—a 50-goal pace. At the time of his most recent recall, he was leading the Baby Pens with 21 goals and 46 points in only 43 games.
In the NHL?
A totally different story.
In the dozen games he’s played since his callup, Bemström has a lone (second) assist. In 36 career games with the Pens, he’s totaled a paltry three goals and six points. Matt Nieto-type output.
Granted, Emil hasn’t exactly received the prime ice time conducive to stat padding (ATOI of 8:40 over two seasons). But to my eye, he hasn’t done anything to merit favorable deployment, either.
The old chicken-or-the-egg conundrum.
Talent level aside, the biggest difference between the top pro leagues, and the one that often separates the men from the boys, is the speed of the NHL game. A lot of top-notch AHL players simply can’t make the adjustment.
Perennial black-and-gold prospect Sam Poulin, a solid producer and performer at the lower level, immediately comes to mind as a player who’s had trouble keeping up with the Joneses (and the McDavids and the MacKinnons).
With brings me back to Koivunen and McGroarty. Neither possesses blazing speed. Will they be able to adapt to the quickened pace of the NHL game? Or more to the point, be productive at the big-league level?
Koivunen, in particular, controls the tempo at times by playing a slowdown game not unlike the one Wayne Gretzky employed back in the day.
How will that translate?
There are players who excel despite a lack of straight-line speed. Golden Knights forward Mark Stone isn’t a great skater by any stretch, yet he’s a terrific player who reads the game exceptionally well.
Closer to home, ex-Pen Jake Guentzel is another guy who isn’t a blur on skates, but compensates by being smart, crafty and ultra-competitive.
Koivunen is said to possess a similar competitive streak.
Since Guentzel is the last home-grown talent to really blossom (how’s that for an indictment), I’ll use him as an example of what we might expect from the newbies.
Around Thanksgiving of 2016, the then 22-year-old Jake joined the Pens for five games. In an auspicious debut that proved to be a harbinger of the career to come, the Omaha native struck for two goals against the Rangers. He followed up with a pair of assists over the next four games before being returned to the Baby Pens.
His subsequent success is well-documented.
Okay, so here’s my prediction. I think Koivunen will tally two goals and two assists over these eight games, McGroarty 1+2. Not blow-you-away production, but okay. That’s if they receive top-six deployment, which appears to be the plan for now.
Less if coach Mike Sullivan limits their ice time and role.
Oh No Boko!
Heavyweight Pens forward Bokondji “Boko” Imama underwent surgery to repair a biceps injury. He’s projected to miss-four-to-six months.
Strictly conjecture, but I wonder if he was injured during his recent scrap with CBJ heavyweight Mathieu Olivier?
During his 16 games with the Pens, the slugging winger notched a goal and was a plus-2 while skating on lines that weren’t exactly built to score. Befitting his physical nature, the powerfully built 221-pounder registered 45 hits while averaging 5:40 of ice, a league-best 29.78 hits/60 minutes among players who’ve appeared in at least 10 games.
He engaged in two fights (Utah’s Liam O’Brien was his other foe) and generally used his rugged style to great advantage while gaining folk hero status among black-and-gold followers. Indeed, since Boko joined the team in late January, the Pens were 9-5-2 with him in the lineup and 0-7-1 in games he sat out.
That’s not a misprint, but rather a pretty fair reflection of what his physicality, attitude and intangibles meant to the team.
Despite the injury, here’s hoping Kyle Dubas re-signs the popular UFA-to-be this summer.
Rick
If yesterdays game was any indication it appears both players will be on the roster
to open the 2025-26 season. Niether player look out of place, and they appeared to
be embracing the opportunity.
Rick,
In many other situations, I would be Soooo excited to see Koivunen and McGroarty playing against NHL level talent with NHL level talent (Crosby, Rust, Rakell) in top 6 rolls. Unfortunately for these kids, their coach is a hypocritic, benching and banning prospects for making a single mistake while letting veterans who should no better commit that very same mistake over, and over again.
I am not as rabid as you are over Boko but i agree in theory; Boko brought an energy that this team needs. Although I I hate to see the kid injured, it may turn out for the best. Without Boko’s presence, there just may be a drop in play with a rise in our Pens draft order. My other thought on Boko is that unless Dubas gets struck by a similar bolt as Saul to open his eyes and give him the courage to move on from millstone Mike, my wish for Boko is the same as it is for every prospect in this organization, they move on to greener fields, fields without the weed known as Sullivan to choke off their potential.