Kakko, selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, brings a goal-scoring presence to the Rangers' top six forwards. He has elite playmaking ability and an accurate shot that should make him a key contributor in his rookie season. The wing scored 22 goals in 45 games for TPS in Liiga last season, the top professional hockey league in Finland, setting a record for under-18 players (center Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers) scored 21 goals for Tappara in 2012-13). Kakko also led Finland with six goals in 10 games to help them win the 2019 IIHF World Championship.
Kakko's 38 points are the third most in a season among 18-and-under Liiga players, behind Barkov, who had 48 in 2012-13, and Mikael Granlund (Nashville Predators), who had 40 in 2009-10 with HIFK. Barkov had 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in his rookie season with the Panthers in 2013-14. Granlund had 41 points (eight goals, 33 assists) in his first full NHL season with the Wild in 2013-14.