Chicago has inked goaltender Kevin Lankinen to a two-year contract that runs through the 2019-20 season. Here are three things to know about the 23-year-old Finnish netminder.
1. Better and better
As you'd hope to see from any young, developing goaltender, Lankinen has recently improved his numbers each season. His save percentage in the top-tier Liiga in 2015-16 was .906. Since then, Lankinen has posted a .920 percentage in 2016-17, and a .946 in 2017-18. In a brief two-game stint in the second-tier league this past season, Lankinen had a .954 save percentage.
They say good athletes step up in big games, and Lankinen has a history of getting things done in the postseason. The goaltender was a Jr. B Champion in 2011-12, recording the best GAA of the postseason (2.14) and best save percentage (.939). He repeated his championship ways in 2012-13. In 2014-15, in Finland's top tier league, Lankinen once again lead his counterparts in playoffs GAA (1.74) and save percentage (.933).