Kaapo Kakko

Kaapo Kakko (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkɑːpo ˈkɑkːo]; born 13 February 2001) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kakko was selected second overall by the Rangers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Kakko plays right wing, but also has experience playing at centre. He made his professional debut playing with TPS of the Finnish Liiga.

Kaapo Kakko
Kakko with the New York Rangers in 2021
Born (2001-02-13) 13 February 2001
Turku, Finland
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 199 lb (90 kg; 14 st 3 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 New York Rangers
TPS
National team  Finland
NHL Draft 2nd overall, 2019
New York Rangers
Playing career 2017–present

Playing career

New York Rangers

On 21 June 2019, as the top-ranked European skater heading into the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Kakko was selected second overall by the New York Rangers.[1][2] On 11 July 2019, he was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers.[3]

Kakko made his NHL debut for the Rangers on 3 October 2019.[4] He scored his first NHL career goal on 12 October at home against the Edmonton Oilers, becoming the eighth player in Rangers franchise history to score a goal at the age of 18 or younger.[5] He also became the second player in NHL history born in the 21st century to score a goal, after Ville Heinola (also born in 2001), of the Winnipeg Jets who scored a goal just hours before Kakko on the same day.[6]

Following the conclusion of his entry-level contract with the Rangers, Kakko as a restricted free agent was re-signed to a two-year, $4.2 million contract extension with New York on 28 July 2022.[7]

International play
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Finland
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 Slovakia
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 Canada
World U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place2018 Russia

Kakko scored the gold-medal-winning goal for team Finland in the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships on 5 January 2019.[8] Kakko is the youngest player in hockey history to win gold in all three IIHF world championship tournaments: the World U18 Championships, the World Junior Championships and the World Championships.[9]

Personal life

Kakko has Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.[10][11][12]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2016–17 TPS Jr. A 7 0 4 4 0 3 0 1 1 0
2017–18 TPS Jr. A 38 25 30 55 16 — — — — —
2017–18 TPS Liiga 6 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2018–19 TPS Liiga 45 22 16 38 10 5 4 1 5 6
2019–20 New York Rangers NHL 66 10 13 23 14 3 0 0 0 0
2020–21 New York Rangers NHL 48 9 8 17 10 — — — — —
2021–22 New York Rangers NHL 43 7 11 18 10 19 2 3 5 2
2022–23 New York Rangers NHL 82 18 22 40 8 7 1 1 2 0
Liiga totals 51 22 17 39 10 5 4 1 5 6
NHL totals 239 44 54 98 42 29 3 4 7 2

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2018 Finland U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 4 6 10 2
2019 Finland WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 2 3 5 0
2019 Finland WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 10 6 1 7 0
Junior totals 14 6 9 15 2
Senior totals 10 6 1 7 0

Awards and honours
Award Year
Liiga
Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy 2019
President's Trophy 2019

References
  1. "Hughes tops 2019 NHL Draft final ranking of North American skaters". National Hockey League. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  2. "Devils take Jack Hughes at No.1, and the Rangers pick Kaapo Kakko". New York Times. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  3. "Rangers agree to terms with Kaapo Kakko". New York Rangers. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  4. Obernauer, Michael (3 October 2019). "Recap: Amid Sparkling Debuts, Greasy Goal Wins Opener for Rangers". NHL.com. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  5. Spiegel, Jackie (12 October 2019). "New York Rangers' Kaapo Kakko nets first NHL goal — and it's a beauty". Sporting News. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  6. "NHL Rookie Notebook". Sportsnet.ca. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  7. "Rangers agree to terms with Kaapo Kakko". New York Rangers. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  8. Aykroyd, Lucas. "Kaapo Kakko gives Finns gold". IIHF. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  9. Peters, Chris (28 May 2019). "Prospect Kakko to pass on scouting combine". ESPN.com. Retrieved 29 May 2019. It also marked Kakko's third world championship in as many tries. He also helped Finland win the World Men's Under-18 Championship in 2018 and the World Junior Championship in January. He is the youngest player in IIHF history to complete the trifecta.
  10. Rivard, Happy (25 June 2018). "A look ahead at the 2019 Draft Class". Hockey Wilderness. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  11. Staff, HP. "HockeyProspect.com's Early 2019 NHL Draft Top 31 Ranking". Hockey Prospect. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  12. Shultz, Alex (3 January 2020). "The Real-Life Diet of Kaapo Kakko, the New York Rangers Rookie Who Eats Gluten-Free". GQ. Retrieved 28 May 2020.


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