Pittsburgh Penguins Prospect Shines in Historic Championship Victory

In the 2024 NHL Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins used a sixth-round pick on 20-year old USHL Forward Joona Vaisanen on the back of a solid 40 point campaign in 2023/24 for the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Then in 2024/25, the Finnish standout headed to the Western Michigan Broncos, tallying a solid 4 goals and 25 points in 41 games played with the team, and with a +12 differential, he's shown immense potential.

Now, the talented forward has been a part of a historic Championship victory, as the Broncos would come away victorious 6-2 in the Championship game against Boston University on Saturday night.

This was the first Championship win in program history, and while Vaisanen wasn't a star for this team, he certainly played his role and produced well at the age of 20, showing that the Penguins may have found an absolute steal in the draft with the No. 175 overall pick.

Standing at 6-foot-1, Vaisanen not only has the size but the skill to compete at the next level, and while he's got at least one more year of school ahead of him, after this experience, if he can develop well, there's potentially a very bright future ahead for him in the NHL.

Regardless of whether he one day makes that leap, Vaisanen got some incredible experience on a big stage in a tournament that he'll not forget for as long as he lives, and after proving he can hang at this level, it's safe to say that this should have been nothing but a positive experience for his growth moving forward.