The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled rookie forward Sam Poulin from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) and placed rookie forward Ville Koivunen on injured reserve due to an undisclosed ailment. Koivunen has been labeled as “week to week.”
Those transactions were announced on Tuesday morning.
Poulin, a left-handed shot, is Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s leading scorer with 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 16 games. Prior to being recalled, he had pieced together a five-game scoring streak, accruing four goals and three assists over that span.
This past preseason, the 24-year-old Poulin appeared in three games and did not record a point on two shots. After clearing waivers Oct. 5, he was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Capable of playing all three forward positions, Poulin has started 13 games at left wing this season.
During the 2024-25 season, Poulin appeared in seven NHL games and recorded one assist while averaging 10:04 of ice time per contest.
A first-round draft pick (No. 21 overall) in 2019, Poulin is in the second year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000.
Koivunen, a left-handed shot, has appeared in 11 NHL games this season and has recorded two assists while averaging 18:07 of ice time per contest. He has also skated in six AHL games and has posted 11 points (four goals, seven assists).
The 22-year-old Koivunen was scratched from a 4-0 neutral site win against the Nashville Predators on Sunday.
Koivunen is in the third year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of 805,833.
Note: Injured Penguins forwards Noel Acciari (undisclosed), Justin Brazeau (undisclosed) and Rickard Rakell (left hand) skated prior to a practice session in Cranberry on Tuesday. All three are currently designated to injured reserve.
