Kraken Goalie Excelling in First AHL Season

The Seattle Kraken are outside of the playoff race in the Western Conference. At the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Kraken are 24-29-4 through 57 games and it's a steep climb to secure a postseason berth.

While the Kraken aren't contending for a playoff spot, the organization can look optimistically towards the future. They have many prospects moving up through the ranks across every position. This season has been particularly impressive for goaltender Niklas Kokko, a recent second-round draft pick.

Kokko is playing in his first season in North America and has quickly made a name for himself in the American Hockey League. The Kraken selected Kokko with the 51st overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, and he's been plying his trade in the Finnish leagues since then. After standing out in the top Finnish professional league, Liiga, in 2023-2024, he signed his entry-level deal and joined the Coachella Valley Fire Birds.

This year, he's been excellent. His play has earned him more trust and starts over the course of the season, and with due reason. In 20 starts for the Valley Birds, he's compiled a record of 14-4-1, a 2.52 goals against average, and a .908 save percentage. Compared to his running mate in goal, Ales Stezka, Kokko's been the far superior netminder.

One area of his game that stands out is how strong he defends the top half of the net. Part of that is due to his size — he stands at 6'4" without skates on — and part of it is due to his excellent shape in goal. He stays square to the shooter, relies on taking the best angles to block shots, keeps his glove hand high and tight, and tracks the puck well on the ice.

He's also consistently within his crease. He doesn't get off his angles when the play moves wide and explodes laterally when going post-to-post. He's not the best puck handler and isn't much help when teams dump it in, but that's a skill that can be developed with time.

Kokko is a work in progress for the Kraken, but his rookie year in North America is already a success. He's winning games, improving his play, and showing that he can one day be a starter for the Kraken.