Kokko embracing Finland homecoming with Kraken at Global Series

HELSINKI -- Nikke Kokko received the word from the Seattle Kraken early last week that they planned to call him up from Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League before flying to Helsinki on Saturday to be their non-rostered third goalie during the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland.

"I right away texted my parents and they booked the hotels and flights," Kokko said Wednesday.

Barring an injury to Joey Daccord or Philipp Grubauer, it's unlikely Kokko will dress for either of the Kraken's two games against the Carolina Hurricanes at Veikkaus Arena on Thursday (12 p.m. ET; HHN, Prime Video, CARNHL, KONG, NHLN, SN+, TVAS) and Saturday (1 p.m. ET; HHN, Prime Video, CARNHL, KONG, KING, NHLN, SN1). It was still exciting news for the 22-year-old native of Oulu, Finland, which is about an hour flight or seven-hour drive north of Helsinki.

The callup brought an unexpected opportunity to visit with family and friends while spending the week practicing and hanging around off the ice with the Kraken.

"I'm really happy I'm here, and I like seeing the guys," said Kokko, a second-round pick (No. 58) by Seattle in the 2022 NHL Draft. "The guys like to be here so far and I'm happy to help guys out here. … It's a cool experience. I think it's once in a lifetime. 

"I'm working hard and I'm ready to play if I can."

The addition of Kokko increased Seattle's contingent of players from Finland to four, including forwards Kaapo Kakko and Jani Nyman and defenseman Ville Ottavainen. He knew most of the Kraken players already. He's 1-2-0 with a 3.18 goals-against average and .875 save percentage in four games (three starts) for Seattle.

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Still, being on the road with the Kraken for more than a week will provide more time for him to bond with his teammates and make an impression on the coaches if he's needed in the future.

"The one thing about it is if we have an injury in the first game or whatever, it gives us an option to put him in as a backup or whatever it might be in the second game, so just have a little bit of security from that standpoint," Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. "Also, it's nice to see him come back here and enjoy it just like our other Finnish players. 

"Every one of them are extremely proud to be here and we're excited for every one of them, so I'm happy he's here." 

Kokko is still trying to establish himself as goalie since making the move to North America to play after splitting the 2023-24 season between Karpat (2-5-1, 2.36 GAA, .906 save percentage, one shutout) and Pelicans (9-0-3, 1.49 GAA, .926 save percentage, four shutouts) in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland.

He had a strong first season with Coachella Valley, going 20-10-2 with a 2.26 GAA and .913 save percentage in 33 games in 2024-25, and followed up by going 19-10-2 with a 3.13 GAA, .901 save percentage and two shutouts in 35 games last season.

Kokko has been inconsistent this season. He's 4-3-3 with a 2.99 GAA and .893 save percentage in 10 AHL games.  

"Start was a little bit tough, and I think last few games it feels really good," Kokko said. "I play how I want to play, so it feels good and (have) good confidence right now."

Kokko's goal remains to earn a full-time job with the Kraken, but he understands he has work to do in the AHL before taking the next step.

"As a league, it's really tough," he said. "Everyone wants to move up, and everyone will do whatever it takes to get here. We have good facilities in (Coachella Valley), but some of those away-game towns you travel to by bus can be pretty rough, so that definitely motivates you to want to be a full-time NHLer. 

"As for the differences here, the players here are smarter and, of course, everything happens faster. The pace of the game is faster and the shots are harder, but the game is also more structured in the NHL."