KAAPO KAHKONEN, CAL O’REILLY JOIN HEAD COACH TIM ARMY ON CENTRAL DIVISION ALL-STAR TEAM

Jan 3, 2019

Iowa Wild, in conjunction with the American Hockey League (AHL), announced today goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen and forward Cal O’Reilly were named to the Central Division All-Star team for the 2019 Lexus AHL All-Star Classic presented by MGM Springfield.

 

The two join Head Coach Tim Army, who will be behind the bench for the Central Division team at the All-Star Classic, which takes place on Jan. 27-28 at MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass., home of the Springfield Falcons.

 

Kahkonen and O’Reilly are the fifth and sixth players to represent the team at the mid-season classic, joining former Wild all-stars Luke Kunin, Alex Tuch, Matt Dumba and Gustav Olofsson. The 2019 All-Star Classic will feature multiple Iowa representatives for the first time in franchise history.

 

Kahkonen, 22 (8/16/96), has impressed in his first professional season in North America, going 9-4-4 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. The rookie from Helsinki, Finland, set the franchise record for shutout minutes with 222:22 in November, which helped him capture a CCM/AHL Player of the Week Award on Nov. 19. He also became the first player in franchise history to win a monthly award when he was named the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for November. Kahkonen, Minnesota’s fourth-round selection (#109 overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, currently ranks tied for first in shutouts (four) and tied for second in shootout wins (two) among all AHL netminders.

 

O’Reilly, 32 (9/30/86), earns his fifth AHL All-Star Classic appearance this season, the second-most all-time in AHL history. The Wild captain and Toronto, Ont., native currently leads Iowa with 25 points (5g, 20a) in 25 games this season. O’Reilly became the organization’s all-time assist leader this season with 69 and also ranks second in power-play assists (25), third in points (89), third in power-play points (34) and seventh in power-play goals (nine).

 

Army, 55 (4/26/63), has coached the Wild to a 19-8-4-3 record and 45 points, good for the top spot in the Central Division and Western Conference and marks the best start in franchise history. The Providence, R.I., native has more than 30 years of coaching experience, five of which has come at the AHL level, and even spent a season playing in the AHL with the Maine Mariners.

 

Iowa will battle the Rockford IceHogs Friday evening at Wells Fargo Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

 

The Iowa Wild 2018-19 season is presented by Mercy Medical Center and runs from October through April. For more information, please contact the Wild office by calling 515-564-8700 or by visiting www.iowawild.com.