Kaapo Kähkönen

Kaapo Kähkönen (born 16 August 1996) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kähkönen was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the fourth round (109th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Kaapo Kähkönen
Kähkönen with the Iowa Wild in 2019
Born (1996-08-16) 16 August 1996
Helsinki, Finland
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 217 lb (98 kg; 15 st 7 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams		 San Jose Sharks
Espoo Blues
Lukko
Minnesota Wild
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.[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 goaltender 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]

In the 2020–21 season, Kähkönen became a full-time NHL player, serving as the backup to Cam Talbot. Between 18 February and 16 March 2021, he won nine consecutive games while being a starter, putting up a .947 save percentage and getting two shutouts during the winning streak.[6]

During the 2021–22 season, on 21 March 2022, Kähkönen was dealt at the NHL trade deadline to the San Jose Sharks, in exchange for defenceman Jacob Middleton and a fifth-round draft selection.[7]

As a restricted free agent in the following off-season, Kähkönen was re-signed to a two-year, $5.5 million contract extension with the Sharks on 18 July 2022.[8]

International play
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Finland
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 Helsinki
World U18 Championships
Bronze medal – third place2013 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 — — — — — — — —
2020–21 Minnesota Wild NHL 24 16 8 0 1414 68 2 2.88 .902 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Minnesota Wild NHL 25 12 8 3 1381 66 0 2.87 .910 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 San Jose Sharks NHL 11 2 6 1 566 27 0 2.86 .916 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 San Jose Sharks NHL 37 9 20 7 2,107 135 1 3.85 .883 — — — — — — — —
Liiga totals 117 38 50 27 6,876 278 9 2.43 .918 2 0 2 126 5 0 2.38 .921
NHL totals 102 42 43 12 5,772 311 3 3.23 .899 — — — — — — — —

International
Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2013 Finland U17 7th 4 — — — — — — 4.48 .858
2013 Finland IH18 5th 3 2 1 0 174 10 0 3.45 .881
2014 Finland U18 6th 5 2 3 0 269 15 0 3.37 .886
2016 Finland WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 4 0 0 214 9 0 2.52 .909
Junior totals 16 — — — — — — — —

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 [9]
Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award 2020 [10]

References
  1. "Kaapo Kahkonen for Lukko" (in Finnish). Lukko. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  2. "Wild signs Kahkonen to two-year, entry-level deal". Minnesota Wild. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  3. "Wild announces roster moves". Iowa Wild. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  4. "Kahkonen wins NHL debut as Wild edge Devils". The Sports Network. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  5. "NHL admits error in coach's challenge decision on Devils goal". scoutingtherefs.com. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  6. "Kaapo Kahkonen Has a Track Record Of Being Streaky". Zone Coverage. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  7. "Sharks Acquire Kaapo Kahkonen from Minnesota". National Hockey League. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  8. "Sharks re-sign Goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen". San Jose Sharks. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  9. "2019–20 AHL First, Second All-Star Team announced". American Hockey League. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  10. "KAHKONEN NAMED AHL GOALTENDER OF THE YEAR". iowawild.com. Iowa Wild. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
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