Kochetkov, 23, earned a 7-0-1 record, 1.63 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and two shutouts in eight December appearances. Among NHL goaltenders with at least five games played last month, he ranked first in goals-against average, tied for first in shutouts, third in save percentage and fifth in wins, leading rookie netminders in all four categories. Kochetkov joined Peter Sidorkiewicz (March 1989) as the second Whalers/Hurricanes rookie to record two shutouts in a calendar month, and with three shutouts this season, he is now just one shutout shy of tying Sidorkiewicz's franchise single-season record for shutouts by a rookie (4). The 6'3", 193-pound goaltender held opponents scoreless for 151:26 over three games from Dec. 10-15, marking the sixth-longest shutout sequence in franchise history and the longest by any Whalers/Hurricanes rookie. His shutout streak included back-to-back shutouts against the Islanders on Dec. 10 and the Red Wings on Dec. 13, as he became the first Hurricanes netminder to post consecutive shutouts since Kevin Weekes in 2003-04.
Kochetkov has registered a 13-1-4 record, 2.01 goals-against average, .924 save percentage and three shutouts in 18 career NHL games with Carolina. He posted a 3-0-0 record with the Hurricanes last season, becoming the 11th goaltender in NHL history to earn his first three career wins in a span of four days and the first to accomplish to feat in three road games. Kochetkov has earned a 9-0-4 record in 13 career road appearances, joining Andrew Hammond (Ottawa, 2015) as the second goaltender in league history to earn a point in each of his first 13 or more road games. He is the second Hurricanes goaltender to be named the NHL's Rookie of the Month (Alex Nedeljkovic, March 2021), and he has become the fifth Hurricanes netminder to earn NHL monthly honors, joining Nedeljkovic, Cam Ward (First Star, March 2009), Anton Khudobin (First Star, January 2014) and Frederik Andersen (Third Star, October 2021).
Kochetkov began the season with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL) and has posted a 15-3-2 record, 2.09 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 20 career AHL games. He also went 5-1 in six playoff appearances last season to help the Wolves win the Calder Cup. The Penza, Russia, native played 49 career Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) games with Sochi, St. Petersburg, Vityaz and Nizhny Novgorod from 2018-22, earning a 16-25-3 record, 2.48 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and three shutouts. Selected by Carolina in the second round, 36th overall, of the 2019 NHL Draft, Kochetkov signed a four-year contract extension with the Hurricanes on Nov. 23, 2022.
