Otto Koivula

Otto Koivula (born 1 September 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for the Växjö Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Playing career
Koivula began playing within the youth hockey program of Ilves Tampere. After two seasons of Junior A SM-liiga, Koivula secured a two-year Liiga contract with Ilves on 30 March 2016.

Koivula was selected in the fourth round, 120th overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders.

After his second full season in the Liiga in 2017–18, Koivula signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the New York Islanders on 21 March 2018.

In his first season in North America, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers developed Koivula to play center, rather than his natural wing position. He responded with a strong season in a new position, scoring 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points in 69 games. He received his first NHL call-up on 30 October 2019. Otto played his first NHL game on 16 November 2019, in Philadelphia against the Flyers.

On 9 October 2020, Koivula was loaned to HIFK due to the delayed start of the North American season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 20 September 2021, Koivula was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Islanders. On October 6, 2021, he was placed on waivers.

Following the season, Koivula left the Islanders as a pending restricted free agent and returned to Scandinavia in signing a two-year contract with Swedish club, Växjö Lakers of the SHL, on 12 July 2024.