Pittsburgh Penguins forward Joona Koppanen was added to Finland’s roster for the upcoming Euro Hockey Tour (EHT) which will be played in Czechia beginning on Thursday.
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association announced Koppanen’s addition via a release on Sunday.
A left-handed shot, the 27-year-old Koppanen appeared in 11 NHL contests this season and scored his first career goal while averaging 13:23 of ice time per contest while primarily operating on the team’s bottom two lines.
At the American Hockey League level, Koppanen (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) skated in 58 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and posted 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists).
Involving teams from Czechia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, the EHT serves as something of a preliminary showcase event for those countries in advance of the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship tournament that will be staged later in May.
Players in the EHT tournament can be selected for their country’s roster for the IIHF World Championship tournament.
The EHT tournament is scheduled to be held Thursday through May 4.
The IIHF World Championship tournament will be staged primarily in Stockholm between May 9 and 25. Herning, Denmark, will also host games.
