Kuokkanen Established Himself in Rookie Campaign I THREE THINGS

After being selected in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft by Carolina, Janne Kuokkanen would dip his toe in the NHL for three years, but never fully establish himself as a full-time NHL player.
A trade at the 2020 deadline to New Jersey brought the Finnish native to a new franchise, and to a new opportunity. Unfortunately, Kuokkanen would only play in one game for the Devils before COVID-19 shutdown the remainder of the season.
But the team had big plans for him entering 2020-21, and he did not disappoint, setting career highs across the board in games played (50), goals (8), assists (17) and points (25) in a full season of action.
We take a look back at Kuokkanen's 2020-21 season in this week's edition of Three Things.

1. Season of Firsts

It was a season of firsts for the 22-year-old Kuokkanen. It was his first full season as an NHL mainstay. And he would record his first-career NHL goal, assist and point during the campaign.
Prior to the 2020-21 season, Kuokkanen had appeared in a total of 12 NHL games over three years (4, 2017-18; 7, 2018-19; 1, 2019-20). His emergence as an everyday NHL player wasn't a given entering the season. But before it was all said and done, the forward would rack up 50 games on the year while ranking second among the team's rookies in goals (8), assists (17) and points (25).
But it's always the firsts that a player remembers most in their careers. Kuokkanen picked up his first-career point (assist) Jan. 26 against Philadelphia by helping set up a Travis Zajac goal. Four nights later, Kuokkanen scored his first-career NHL goal at Buffalo, tying the game late in the third period with a bank shot off of goaltender Linus Ulmark to force overtime.

2. Chemistry

Perhaps the biggest key to Kuokkanen's success during his rookie campaign was the chemistry he developed with fellow novice Yegor Sharangovich. Both neophytes bonded right away, and it translated into their play on the ice. The pair of wings worked well regardless of their pivot, whether it was Travis Zajac in the early portion of the season or Hughes in the latter part of the year.
The duo performed seamlessly with whomever was in the middle. Chemistry is always a delicate thing in the NHL. It's something coaches seek on every line and defensive pair, but it can sometimes be elusive and frustrating. So when two players seem to gel instantly, such as Kuokkanen and Sharangovich, it's like hitting a homerun on the first swing.
And the fact that their chemistry seems to translate with any center gives the coaching staff another highly sought-after weapon: flexibility.

3. 200-Foot Player

Kuokkanen, a native of Oulunsalo, didn't just prove himself offensively this season. He also showed that he can be entrusted with key defensive assignments, whether it was a line-for-line matchup or late-game lead protection.
Kuokkanen thrived in a more defensive role working with Zajac, drawing the opposition's top forwards on many nights. He found himself often going against names like Ovechkin, Backstrom, Crosby, Marchand, Bergeron, etc. And through it all, Kuokkanen held his own.
That role continued, though is a lesser capacity, as he joined forces with Hughes. The new trio of Kuokkanen-Hughes-Sharangovich wasn't as focused in a shutdown role, but would draw top offensive performers quite often throughout the course of a game.
Learning the defensive side of the game is most often the most difficult task for rookies in the NHL. Kuokkanen's promising showing in his own end is a sign of great things to come as his well-rounded game continues to flourish.