The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today the team has claimed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets.
Kahkonen, 28, split his 2023-24 between the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils, posting a combined 7-24-3 record, .898 Sv%, a 3.64 GAA and one shutout. The netminder was traded to the Devils on March 8 of last season and finished the campaign with a .923 Sv% and a 2.51 GAA in six appearances in New Jersey.
Since entering the league in 2019-20, Kahkonen has compiled a 49-67-15 record, an .899 Sv%, a 3.33 GAA and four shutouts over 139 NHL games with the Devils, Sharks and Minnesota Wild. The 6-foot-2, 217-pound goaltender recorded a career-high 16 wins in 2020-21 with Minnesota and the following season set a personal best in GAA with a 2.87 clip.
Kahkonen played two seasons for the AHL’s Iowa Wild from 2018-20. His rookie campaign of 2018-19 saw him earn an All-Star Game bid and pace the league in shutouts with six. The following season, Kahkonen was selected as the Baz Bastien Memorial Award winner as the league’s best goaltender after leading all AHL netminders in wins (25) and shutouts (7).
A native of Helsinki, Finland, Kahkonen competed in Finland’s pro circuits from 2013-18 where he notched a .918 Sv%, 2.43 GAA and nine clean sheets in 117 Liiga games. In 2014-15, he was tabbed the Mestis League’s Best Goaltender. Additional Finnish accolades include winning the Finnish Junior league championship in 2013-14 and the Mestis Rookie of the Year in 2014-15.
On an international stage, Kahkonen represented his country at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship and helped guide the Fins to a gold medal after posting a 4-0-0 record, .909 Sv% and a 2.52 GAA. He was also on the team at the Under-18 event in 2013 and 2014, capturing bronze in 2013.
Kahkonen was originally drafted by the Wild in the fourth round (109th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.
