KAAPO KAHKONEN NAMED CCM/AHL GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
Dec 3, 2018The American Hockey League announced today that Iowa Wild goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen has been selected as the league’s CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for November. Kahkonen is the first player in Iowa Wild history to receive an AHL monthly award.
Kahkonen allowed only 10 goals on 248 shots in eight starts during November, going 5-0-3 with a 1.21 goals-against average, a .960 save percentage and three shutouts.
Kahkonen’s month included three consecutive shutouts and a franchise-record stretch of 222:22 without surrendering a goal. After making 29 saves in a 2-1 shootout victory at Rockford on Nov. 3, Kahkonen blanked Rockford on Nov. 7 (28 saves) and Milwaukee twice on Nov. 14 (20 saves) and Nov. 16 (38 saves). He stopped 31 of 33 shots in a shootout loss at Milwaukee on Nov. 21 and was the game’s first star – his fifth first-star selection of the month – with 34 saves in a 3-2 win at Manitoba on Nov. 24.
A fourth-round pick by the Minnesota Wild in the 2014 NHL Draft, Kahkonen has a record of 6-1-3 in 10 appearances with Iowa this season and leads the AHL in goals-against average (1.45), save percentage (.950) and shutouts (3, tied). The 22-year-old native of Helsinki, Finland, played the last three seasons in the Finnish Elite League and won a gold medal with Finland at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Kahkonen will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming home game in recognition of his achievement.
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.