Kahkonen was selected by the Wild in the fourth round (No. 109) the 2014 NHL Draft, not long after he had a 2.20 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 10 playoff games to help Blues win the championship in Finland's under-20 league.
He opted to remain in Finland, and made his pro debut in 2014-15 with Tuto in Mestis, the country's second-highest league. In 47 games he had a 2.11 GAA and .925 save percentage, was named the league's best goalie and rookie of the year, and even scored a goal during the playoffs.
Kahkonen was selected by the Wild in the fourth round (No. 109) the 2014 NHL Draft, not long after he had a 2.20 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 10 playoff games to help Blues win the championship in Finland's under-20 league.
He opted to remain in Finland, and made his pro debut in 2014-15 with Tuto in Mestis, the country's second-highest league. In 47 games he had a 2.11 GAA and .925 save percentage, was named the league's best goalie and rookie of the year, and even scored a goal during the playoffs.
The following season Kahkonen joined Blues in Liiga, Finland's top professional league, and went 6-15-5 with a 2.69 GAA and .908 save percentage in 27 games, and also helped Finland win the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, going 4-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .909 save percentage in four games.
Seeking more playing time, Kahkonen signed with Lukko in 2016. In 2016-17 he was 12-12-10 with a 2.58 GAA and .921 save percentage in 34 games, and 20-23-12 with a 2.20 GAA and .922 save percentage in 56 games in 2017-18.
Kahkonen signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Wild on May 16, 2018, and was assigned to Iowa of the American Hockey League for the 2018-19 season. In 39 games he was 17-14-8 with a 2.78 GAA, .908 save percentage and league-best six shutouts, and played in the AHL All-Star Game.
He was even better with Iowa in 2019-20, leading the AHL in wins (25) and shutouts (seven) in 34 games, with a 2.07 GAA and .927 save percentage, and won the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as the league's best goalie.
Kahkonen also made his NHL debut that season, making 32 saves in a 3-2 win against the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 26, 2019. He went 3-1-1 with a 2.96 GAA and .913 save percentage in five games.
He left enough of an impression that he spent 2020-21 competing with Cam Talbot for playing time. Kahkonen won three of his first six starts, then won nine in a row from Feb. 18 to March 16, the fifth-longest winning streak by a rookie goalie in NHL history. During the streak he had his first shutout, making 26 saves in 2-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on March 8, 2021.
Kahkonen's 16 wins in 2020-21 were the most ever by a Wild rookie.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- AHL First All-Star Team (2020)
- Aldege "Baz" Bastien Award (AHL Outstanding Goaltender) (2020)
