WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Over the past week, the Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed forwards Boko Imama and Joona Koppanen to one-year, NHL contracts.
Both contracts will run through the 2025-26 campaign and carry an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level.
Imama, 28, spent the 2024-25 season split between Pittsburgh and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League. The 6-foot-1, 221-pound forward scored one goal in 16 games with Pittsburgh, and added three goals, two assists and five points in 24 games at the AHL level.
The Montréal, Quebec native has spent the past nine seasons (2017-25) splitting time between the NHL and AHL. Imama has appeared in 31 NHL games with Pittsburgh, the Ottawa Senators and Arizona Coyotes, recording two goals. During his AHL tenure, he has played in 334 games with the Belleville Senators, Tucson Roadrunners, Ontario Reign and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, tallying 77 points (32G-45A).
Prior to turning professional, Imama spent five seasons (2012-17) in the Québec Major Junior Hockey League with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Saint John Sea Dogs. During his time in Saint John, he served as alternate captain for two years and helped lead them to a QMJHL Championship (2017). During 276 QMJHL regular season games, he scored 123 points (71G-52A), and added 24 points (9G-15A) in 51 playoff games.
Imama was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the sixth round (180th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Koppanen, 27, spent the 2024-25 season with Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound forward suited up in 11 games with Pittsburgh, scoring one goal and averaging 13:23 minutes per game. He also played 56 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where he scored eight goals, 15 assists and 23 points.
The native of Tampere, Finland recently completed his eighth year (2017-25) of professional hockey in North America, with stints in both the NHL and AHL. Koppanen has played a career total of 20 NHL games, split between Pittsburgh and the Boston Bruins, recording two points (1G-1A). He has also played in 359 games in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the Providence Bruins, scoring 53 goals, 84 points and 137 points.
Koppanen has also represented his nation internationally at the 2018 World Junior Championship. During the tournament, Koppanen was recognized as a top three player on his team and recorded four points (3G-1A) in five games. He also competed for Finland in the World Under-18 (2016) and Under-17 (2015) Championships, winning a gold medal with the U18 squad in ‘16.
Koppanen was originally selected by the Boston Bruins in the fifth round (135th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft.
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