Kahkonen, 23, is 13-3-1 with a 2.56 goals-against average (GAA), a .906 save percentage (SV%) and two shutouts in 17 games with Iowa this season. He ranks T-3rd in the AHL in wins. Kahkonen is 3-1-1 with a 2.96 GAA and a .913 SV% in five starts with Minnesota this season. He made 32 saves in a 3-2 win at New Jersey on Nov. 26 to become the seventh Wild goaltender to win his NHL debut and 18th all-time to play in a game for Minnesota. Kahkonen made 44 saves in his second career start, a 4-2 win at Florida on Dec. 3, to set a franchise record for most saves in a game by a rookie. He went 3-0-1 in his first four starts to become the second goalie in team history to begin his Wild career with a point-streak of four games (Ilya Bryzgalov, 7-0-3).
The 6-foot-2, 214-pound native of Helsinki, Finland, is 30-17-9 with a 2.71 GAA, a .907 SV% and eight shutouts in 56 career AHL contests with Iowa. Kahkonen led the AHL with six shutouts last season. Minnesota selected Kahkonen in the fourth round (109th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He wears sweater No. 31 with the Wild.
Minnesota plays at the Calgary Flames Thursday at 8 p.m. on FOX Sports North PLUS and KFAN 100.3 FM.
