Kraken Fins Kakko, Tolvanen Vye For Olympic Medal

Kaapo Kakko had been looking forward to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina as another chance to test himself against the world’s finest.

The Kraken forward had done it a year ago representing Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off event and this time felt better prepared for what best-on-best hockey means at the sport’s highest level. And with Finland on Friday preparing to face top-seeded Canada in semifinal action, Kakko sat second in points on his team’s formidable roster with two goals, two assists in what the Kraken hope can be a confidence booster for their final stretch run toward the playoffs.

“With Kakko, you have to look at the entire year,” Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said Thursday. “I thought he had a great training camp going, then got injured. And so, it was just so frustrating. And then after that it’s a matter of working his way back into the lineup, back into the role.”

Kakko suffered a broken hand midway through the preseason and was sidelined six weeks. Then, just seven games into his November return, he suffered a lower body injury that caused him to miss 15 more days and again required an adjustment period upon his return to action.

Botterill felt Kakko began “moving his feet” in more constant fashion last month as the Kraken went 10-5-2 while playing an NHL record 17 games that 31-day period. And he’s seen Kakko continue to move his feet to keep up with the world’s top players in this Winter Olympic tournament.

“I thought he was a big part of our success in January,” Botterill said of Kakko scoring four goals and adding eight assists for the Kraken over the 17 games played last month. “And now, going into his national team, playing against the best players in the world and having a strong role there…these are some of the things we’re looking for him to deliver with the Seattle Kraken and he’s doing it with the Finnish team.”

It isn’t only Kakko getting a final Winter Olympic taste among Kraken players. Eeli Tolvanen will also be trying to help fourth-seeded Finland pull off an upset Friday to keep this run going.

Tolvanen has just one goal in the tournament thus far but has also looked solid in his to-way game on a team where forwards such as Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, Artturi Lehkonen and Mikael Granlund are there to carry the scoring load. Unlike Kakko’s prior injury struggles, Tolvanen’s season has arguably been the best of his career given he’s trending toward a personal best in points and is already playing more minutes than ever at 16:21 per game in even-strength, power play and penalty killing roles

“What you’re realizing right now with someone like Tolvy is just the versatility that a player like that has,” Botterill said. “And when you get into these tournaments with top players and players that can play with anybody, well, hey, that’s what he’s done with us.

“Our organization has sort of bounced him around in different roles, but he’s always been effective. And I think that’s such an attribute to help out a national team.”

And Botterill said it’s no coincidence to see Kakko and Tolvanen performing well on a huge world stage.

“What we’ve tried to bring in to the Kraken are players who’ve had past success,” Botterill said. “Whether it’s a free agent signing and (Chandler) Stephenson and (Brandon) Montour winning Stanley Cups or even just the different players we’ve tried to bring in since day one who’ve had success at big tournaments.

“And when you look at Kakko and Tolvy, I know both players are very proud of their Finnish heritage and they’ve always had success when they’ve put on that Finnish jersey.”

Tolvanen played for Finland at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games at age 18 in which he registered nine points in five matchups and made the tournament all-star team. But that wasn’t a best-on-best tournament like now. He’d previously played for Finland last spring at the IIHF World Hockey Championship, scoring seven goals and adding two assists. And he was part of three World Juniors teams in 2017, 2018 and 2019, winning gold in the last of those tournaments.

Kakko also won World Juniors gold on the 2019 Finnish squad, scoring the championship game overtime clincher among his two goals and three assists in that tournament. A few months later, he competed at the IIHF World Championship in a starring role, scoring six goals and adding an assist over 10 games as Finland again won gold.

Kakko and Finland also won gold at the 2018 World U18 tourney, making the Kraken first-liner the youngest player in ice hockey history to win gold at the IIHF U18, World Juniors and IIHF Men’s Worlds. Now he has the chance to add Olympic gold to his achievements.

And a chance to really jumpstart a 2025-26 season that showed signs of taking off before this break. The Kraken have always felt the potential for something special in Kakko, a former No. 2 overall draft pick by the Rangers in 2019 who showed signs of breaking out last year following a mid-season trade.

After all, for all his tribulations in New York, he only turned 25 last week.

“I think he’s been great,” Dallas Stars forward Rantanen told NHL.com of his Finnish teammate’s Winter Olympics play. “Even in our first game against Slovakia, I thought he was one of our best forwards. He’s a big guy who can hold on to the pucks and tough to play against. Good to see him get some confidence and get a couple goals.”

Kraken GM Botterill now hopes that Kakko confidence and continued fine play by Tolvanen carries over once the Kraken resume their remaining schedule starting next week against Rantanen and the Stars in Dallas.

“It’s great to see them now having success over there,” he said. “You just hope they take that confidence and that excitement they’re going through right now and bring that back with them and it leads to a good playoff push here.”