Kaapo Kähkönen
Kaapo Kähkönen (born 16 August 1996) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender. He is currently playing with the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kähkönen was drafted by the Wild in the fourth round (109th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
| Kaapo Kähkönen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Kähkönen at the 2019 AHL All-Star Game | |||
| Born |
16 August 1996 Helsinki, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 223 lb (101 kg; 15 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Minnesota Wild Espoo Blues Lukko Rauma | ||
| NHL Draft |
109th overall, 2014 Minnesota Wild | ||
| Playing career | 2015–present | ||
Playing career
Kähkönen played as a youth in his homeland within the Espoo Blues organization. He made his professional debut on loan to TUTO Hockey of the Mestis in the 2014–15 season before returning to make his Liiga debut with the Blues during the following 2015–16 Liiga season.
On 13 April 2016, Kähkönen left the Blues in order to be exposed to more playing time. He agreed to a two-year contract with Lukko Rauma.[1]
In the 2017–18 season, Kähkönen produced career best markers in leading the Liiga in games played, minutes and shutouts. Upon completion of his two-year pact with Lukko, Kähkönen agreed to a two-year, entry-level contract with his draft club, the Minnesota Wild, on 17 May 2018.[2]
In his second year in North America, Kähkönen was recalled by the Wild during the 2019–20 season from AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, on 20 November 2019.[3] After serving as backup for two games, he became just the fourth Minnesota Wild goalie to be given a start for his NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on 26 November 2019. He made 32 saves, recording his first career victory in a 3–2 win over the Devils.[4] Kähkönen officially conceded his first goal against to Devils' rookie Jesper Boqvist, despite the NHL later admitting error from an incorrect ruling in a coach's challenge review from the Wild.[5]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
Representing  Finland | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2016 Helsinki | |
| World U18 Championships | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2013 Sochi | |
Kähkönen represented Finland at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where the team won gold.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2012–13 | Espoo Blues | Jr. A | 28 | — | — | — | 1676 | 68 | 4 | 2.43 | .917 | 12 | — | — | 628 | 28 | 2 | 2.68 | .901 | ||
| 2013–14 | Espoo Blues | Jr. A | 38 | — | — | — | 2279 | 91 | 3 | 2.39 | .911 | 10 | — | — | 599 | 21 | 0 | 2.10 | .915 | ||
| 2014–15 | TuTo | Mestis | 47 | — | — | — | — | 92 | — | 2.11 | .925 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | 1.95 | .934 | ||
| 2015–16 | Espoo Blues | Liiga | 27 | 6 | 15 | 5 | 1581 | 71 | 1 | 2.69 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | TuTo | Mestis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | 6 | — | — | — | 18 | — | 3.03 | .885 | ||
| 2016–17 | Lukko | Liiga | 34 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 2020 | 87 | 2 | 2.58 | .921 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Lukko | Liiga | 56 | 20 | 23 | 12 | 3275 | 120 | 6 | 2.20 | .920 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 126 | 5 | 0 | 2.38 | .921 | ||
| 2018–19 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 39 | 17 | 14 | 8 | 2373 | 110 | 6 | 2.78 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 34 | 25 | 6 | 3 | 2058 | 71 | 7 | 2.07 | .927 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 305 | 15 | 0 | 2.96 | .913 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Liiga totals | 117 | 38 | 50 | 27 | 6,876 | 278 | 9 | 2.43 | .918 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 126 | 5 | 0 | 2.38 | .921 | ||||
| NHL totals | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 305 | 15 | 0 | 2.96 | .913 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Mestis | ||
| Best Goaltender | 2015 | |
| First All-Star Team | 2015 | |
| Rookie of the Year | 2015 | |
| AHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2019 | |
| First All-Star Team | 2020 | [6] |
| Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award | 2020 | [7] |
References
- "Kaapo Kahkonen for Lukko" (in Finnish). Lukko Rauma. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- "Wild signs Kahkonen to two-year, entry-level deal". Minnesota Wild. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- "Wild announces roster moves". Iowa Wild. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
- "Kahkonen wins NHL debut as Wild edge Devils". The Sports Network. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- "NHL admits error in coach's challenge decision on Devils goal". scoutingtherefs.com. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- "2019-20 AHL First, Second All-Star Team announced". American Hockey League. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- "KAHKONEN NAMED AHL GOALTENDER OF THE YEAR". iowawild.com. Iowa Wild. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
Media related to Kaapo Kähkönen at Wikimedia Commons
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alex Nedeljkovic |
Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award 2019–20 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |