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Top 5 young prospects in the Minnesota Wild system

By Cody Defoe

ST. PAUL, MN - OCTOBER 6: The Minnesota Wild line up for the National Anthem before a game between the Minnesota Wild and Las Vegas Golden Knights at Xcel Energy Center on October 6, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Golden Knights defeated the Wild 2-1 in a shootout.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - OCTOBER 6: The Minnesota Wild line up for the National Anthem before a game between the Minnesota Wild and Las Vegas Golden Knights at Xcel Energy Center on October 6, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Golden Knights defeated the Wild 2-1 in a shootout.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – JUNE 28: Kaapo Kahkonen, 109th overall pick of the Minnesota Wild, poses for a portrait during the 2014 NHL Entry Draft at Wells Fargo Center on June 28, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /

#4 – Kaapo Kahkonen (AHL – Iowa Wild)

Goaltenders in the NHL tend to develop much slower than any other position in the game, and the Minnesota Wild should not expect anything different from their 22-year-old Finnish goaltender of the future.

Kaapo Kahkonen was selected  in the 4th round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, and finally made the move from his native Finland to North America for this season. He is now the full-time backup on the AHL Wild, behind Andrew Hammond for this year.

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His development should see him starting more and more as the season rolls on, but in his 2 starts so far he has been excellent for the Iowa Wild.

Kahkonen holds a 1-1-0 record, stopping 54 of 58 shots through 2 games including both attempts in a shootout win on November 3rd.

Kahkonen has never in his career finished a professional season with a save percentage below .900. He has been playing against men in Finland since 2013-14, and held his own like a true star.

Adjusting from the European ice to the North American ice can be challenging for some goalies, having to learn the angles and adjust your game to a smaller ice surface, so time to learn this and develop in the AHL will be largely beneficial to the Minnesota Wild in the future.

With Alex Stalock and Andrew Hammond both under contract this season, it would take something drastic for us to see Kahkonen in the NHL in the 18-19 season, but we shouldn’t want to see him here yet.

Next season should see Kahkonen assume the role of starter in Iowa, potentially with another young goalie or an under-performing veteran there to challenge him for starts while encouraging his overall development.

The Minnesota Wild should be excited for this young goalie to find his way to the NHL, and he should be battling to be the eventual successor of Devan Dubnyk in a few years. For now, keep an eye on this kid as he can lead Iowa to good things in the near future.

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