MINNESOTA RECALLS KAHKONEN, IOWA SIGNS PATERSON TO PTO
Oct 23, 2019Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (pronounced KAH-po KAK-oh-nen) under emergency conditions from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL). Iowa Wild General Manager Tom Kurvers also announced today the signing of goaltender Jake Paterson to a professional try-out agreement.
Kahkonen, 23 (8/16/96), is 4-0-0 with a 2.95 goals-against average (GAA) and a .886 save percentage (SV%) in four games with Iowa this season and ranks T-1st in the AHL in wins. The 6-foot-2, 214-pound native of Helsinki, Finland, is 21-14-8 with a 2.80 GAA, a .906 SV% and six shutouts in 43 career AHL contests with Iowa. He led the AHL with six shutouts last season.
Kahkonen went 20-23-12 with a 2.20 GAA, a .915 SV% and six shutouts in 56 games for Lukko Rauma in the Finnish Elite League in 2017-18. He led league goalies in games played, minutes (3,275) and shutouts, ranked T-3rd in wins, fourth in SV% and fifth in GAA. Kahkonen won a gold medal playing for Finland at the 2016 World Junior Championship, going 4-0-0 with a 2.52 GAA and a .909 SV% in four games. He also represented Finland at the 2015 World Junior Championship, serving as the third goalie.
Minnesota selected Kahkonen in the fourth round (109th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He has not appeared in an NHL game and will wear sweater No. 31 with the Wild.
Paterson, 25 (5/3/94), is 3-1-0 with a 4.76 goals against average and a .856 save percentage in four games with the Allen Americans of the ECHL. The 6-foot-1, 176-pound native of Mississauga, ON, has played parts of three seasons in the AHL with the Belleville Senators, Milwaukee Admirals and Grand Rapids Griffins, posting a 1-4-0 record with a career 3.13 goals against average and a .901 save percentage in 10 games. At the ECHL level, Paterson has a lifetime 78-46-16 record with a 2.74 goals against average and a .911 save percentage, playing for the Toledo Walleye, Norfolk Admirals, Quad City Mallards, Allen Americans and Brampton Beast.
Paterson was selected in the third round (80th overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings.
The Iowa Wild 2019-20 regular season is presented by MercyOne Des Moines 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.