It was a successful year for Kraken goaltending prospect Niklas Kokko who played in his native Finland. While the season has come to an end over there, it hasn’t ended for him as Seattle has re-assigned him to AHL Coachella Valley, per the AHL’s transactions log.
The 20-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2022, going 58th overall, and, after a quiet post-draft year, really took off this season. Kokko started the season with Karpat in Finland’s Liiga but was loaned out to Pelicans midseason. The move worked out quite well as he received more playing time and his new team took off in the standings.
Kokko posted a 1.49 GAA with a .926 SV% and four shutouts in 13 games (while not losing a single one in regulation time) following the loan before authoring a strong postseason run. He helped lead Pelicans to the league finals (beating Karpat along the way), putting up a 1.81 GAA and a .925 SV% in 17 contests before they were eliminated by Tappara.
Kokko is already signed by the Kraken and will now get his first taste of the AHL while the Firebirds are participating in the playoffs. With Coachella Valley’s goalie tandem (anchored by veteran Chris Driedger) both eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer, Kokko could find himself as the new starter as soon as 2024-25.