Niklas Kokko

Niklas Kokko
Kokko with the Seattle Kraken in 2024
Born (2004-03-14) 14 March 2004 (age 20)
Oulu, Finland
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Seattle Kraken
Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Oulun Kärpät
SaiPa
Lahti Pelicans
NHL draft 58th overall, 2022
Seattle Kraken
Playing career 2021–present

Niklas Kokko (born 14 March 2004) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the second round, 58th overall, by the Kraken in the 2022 NHL entry draft.[1]

Playing career

Liiga

Oulun Kärpät

Kokko played junior hockey with Oulun Kärpät's under-20 team in the SM-sarja, starting in the 2018–19 season. He was chosen as the player of the month for February of 2022.[2]

Kokko then joined Kärpät's SM-Liiga team, forming a tandem with Joel Blomqvist in the 2021–22 season. He won his first and only Liiga game of the season on 19 November 2021, away against JYP Jyväskylä, when Kokko replaced Stanislav Galimov in the Kärpät goal at 58:50.[3] He made one save in the remaining time. Kärpät won the game 10–1. Kokko's debut was also made special by the fact that 17-year-old Topias Leinonen also made his Liiga debut with JYP.[3] In December 2021, Kokko signed a three-year SM-Liiga contract with Kärpät.[4] The Seattle Kraken drafted Kokko in the second round (58th overall) in the 2022 NHL entry draft.

Hermes and SaiPa

In August 2022, Kärpät loaned Kokko to the Mestis team Kokkolan Hermes.[5] He played there for most of the beginning of the 2022–23 season and recorded four wins and one shutout in fourteen regular season games. Kokko also played with Kärpät for part of the early season, when both Joel Blomqvist and Leevi Meriläinen suffered injuries. In February 2023, Kärpät loaned Kokko to SaiPa, with a contract covering the rest of the season.[6] He played a total of eight regular season games with SaiPa, managing two wins. However, in the final game of the regular season, Kokko was injured when a Lahti Pelicans player bumped into him after only three minutes of play, where Kokko had only managed three saves.[7] Ten days later, Kokko returned for the rest of the season on loan to Hermes, where he played three playoff games.

Return to Kärpät

In May 2023, Kokko signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Seattle Kraken.[8] However, Kokko started the 2023–24 season still on loan with Kärpät.[9] He started the season as the team's backup goaltender to Niclas Westerholm. Kokko got the first shutout of his Liiga career in his sixth game of the season on 2 November 2023, at Tampere Ilves. He made 25 saves in the game, which ended in a 4–0 victory. He played ten regular season games with Kärpät, getting two wins, until Kokko went to the IIHF World Junior Championships, for which Kärpät replaced him with Tomi Karhunen from HIFK.[10]

In January 2024, Kokko's loan agreement with Kärpät was terminated when the club signed Karhunen for the rest of the season, leaving Kokko as Kärpät's third goaltender. Later that day, it was announced that he had transferred to the Lahti Pelicans under a comprehensive loan agreement for the rest of the season.[11] He had only played 10 games with Kärpät in the first portion of the season, achieving a .906 save percentage.[12] He would take Lahti to the Finals, before losing to Tappara. On 10 May 2024, the Kraken would call him up to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds.

International play

Medal record
Representing  Finland
Ice hockey
World U18 Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Germany

Kokko competed in the IIHF World U18 Championship in 2022, where he won bronze. Kokko served as Finland's main second goaltender, behind Topias Leinonen. He only played in the opening match against Switzerland, stopping 17 of 19 shots.[13]

Kokko then represented Finland in the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2023, although he served as his team's third goaltender and did not play in a single game. Kokko also played in the 2024 installment,[14] where he acted as Finland's main goaltender and played five games.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2019–20 Oulun Kärpät Jr. A 25 — — — — 44 — — .932 — — — — — — — —
2020–21 Oulun Kärpät Jr. A 22 — — — — 48 — — — — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Oulun Kärpät Jr. A 22 17 10 0 1691 58 6 2.06 .925 6 2 4 359 18 0 3.01 .888
2021–22 Oulun Kärpät Liiga 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 1.000 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 Oulun Kärpät Liiga 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 1.000 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 Kokkolan Hermes Mestis 14 4 6 4 833 41 1 2.95 .901 3 1 2 208 8 0 2.31 .917
2022–23 SaiPa Liiga 8 2 2 1 343 17 0 2.98 .903 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 Oulun Kärpät Liiga 10 2 5 1 559 22 1 2.36 .906 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 13 9 0 3 763 19 4 1.49 .926 17 9 8 1096 33 1 1.81 .925
Liiga totals 33 13 7 5 1,667 58 5 2.09 .913 17 9 8 1,096 33 0 1.81 .925

International

Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2022 Finland U18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00 .895
2024 Finland WJC 4th 5 1 4 0 296 19 0 3.86 .870
Junior totals 6 2 4 0 356 21 0 2.93 .883

References

  1. ^ "Seattle Kraken Of The Future: Niklas Kokko - Seattle Hockey Insider". 29 July 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  2. ^ Mennander, Pasi. "Leijonat - Kärppien Niklas Kokko nimettiin U20 SM-sarjan helmikuun parhaaksi nuoreksi pelaajaksi". www.leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b "1–10! Kärpät järjesti SM-liigassa rajun teurastuksen – 17-vuotias debytantti melkoisessa mankelissa". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 18 November 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  4. ^ Airio, Riikka (27 December 2021). "Kärppänuorille jatkosopimuksia". Oulun Kärpät (in Finnish). Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  5. ^ Airio, Riikka (17 August 2022). "Oulun Kärpät ja Kokkolan Hermes yhteistyössä". Oulun Kärpät (in Finnish). Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Maalivahti Niklas Kokko Kärpistä loppukauden lainalle SaiPaan". saipa.fi. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Kausi päätökseen – Pelicans kiri ohi voittoon". saipa.fi. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Seattle Kraken Sign Niklas Kokko to Entry-Level Contract | Seattle Kraken". www.nhl.com. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Seattle Loans Niklas Kokko To Finnish League". Pro Hockey Rumors. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Kolminkertainen Suomen mestari hyppää Kärppiin". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  11. ^ Uusitupa, Ismo (16 January 2024). "Nuorten Leijonien maalivahti sai potkut". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  12. ^ Airio, Riikka (16 January 2024). "Kokon ja Kärppien välinen sopimus purettu". Oulun Kärpät (in Finnish). Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  13. ^ "U18 Worlds Preview: Canada vs. Finland". www.hockeycanada.ca. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  14. ^ Amoia, Daniel (5 January 2024). "2024 World Junior Championship Team Finland Final Roster". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 11 March 2024.