Penguins Recall Joona Koppanen from Wilkes-Barre

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a personnel move a few hours before their game against Columbus Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena, but it wasn’t one of the franchise-altering deals people have expecting since the Penguins dropped to the fringe of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

They have recalled winger Joona Koppanen from their farm team in Wilkes-Barre, filling a hole opened on their major-league roster early in the day when Washington claimed winger Matthew Phillips off waivers from them.

Koopanen, 26, is 6-foot-5, 216 pounds.

He failed to record a goal or assist in three games with the Penguins earlier in the season, but has five goals and 11 assists in 49 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2023-24.