Kaapo Kakko (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkɑːpo ˈkɑkːo]; born 13 February 2001) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kakko was selected second overall by the Rangers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Kakko plays right wing, but also has experience playing at center. He made his professional debut playing with TPS of the Finnish Liiga.
This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Finnish. (September 2019) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Kaapo Kakko | |||
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Born |
(2001-02-13) 13 February 2001 (age 21) Turku, Finland | ||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
Weight | 199 lb (90 kg; 14 st 3 lb) | ||
Position | Right wing | ||
Shoots | Left | ||
NHL team Former teams |
New York Rangers TPS | ||
National team | Finland | ||
NHL Draft |
2nd overall, 2019 New York Rangers | ||
Playing career | 2017–present |
On 21 June 2019, as the top-ranked European skater heading into the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Kakko was selected second overall by the New York Rangers.[1][2] On 11 July 2019, he was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers.[3]
Kakko made his NHL debut for the Rangers on 3 October 2019.[4] He scored his first NHL career goal on 12 October at home against the Edmonton Oilers, becoming the eighth player in Rangers franchise history to score a goal at the age of 18 or younger.[5] He also became the second player in NHL history born in the 21st century to score a goal, after Ville Heinola (also born in 2001), of the Winnipeg Jets who scored a goal just hours before Kakko on the same day.[6]
Following the conclusion of his entry-level contract with the Rangers, Kakko as a restricted free agent was re-signed to a two-year, $4.2 million contract extension with New York on 28 July 2022.[7]
Medal record | ||
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Ice hockey | ||
Representing Finland | ||
World Championships | ||
2019 Slovakia | ||
World Junior Championships | ||
2019 Canada | ||
World U18 Championships | ||
2018 Russia |
Kakko scored the gold-medal-winning goal for team Finland in the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships on 5 January 2019.[8] Kakko is the youngest player in hockey history to win gold in all three IIHF world championship tournaments: the World U18 Championships, the World Junior Championships and the World Championships.[9]
Kakko has Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.[10][11][12]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2016–17 | TPS | Jr. A | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
2017–18 | TPS | Jr. A | 38 | 25 | 30 | 55 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2017–18 | TPS | Liiga | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2018–19 | TPS | Liiga | 45 | 22 | 16 | 38 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
2019–20 | New York Rangers | NHL | 66 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2020–21 | New York Rangers | NHL | 48 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2021–22 | New York Rangers | NHL | 43 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 10 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
Liiga totals | 51 | 22 | 17 | 39 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||||
NHL totals | 157 | 26 | 32 | 58 | 34 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
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2018 | Finland | U18 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | ||
2019 | Finland | WJC | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | ||
2019 | Finland | WC | 10 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | ||
Senior totals | 10 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
Award | Year | |
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Liiga | ||
Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy | 2019 | |
President's Trophy | 2019 |
It also marked Kakko's third world championship in as many tries. He also helped Finland win the World Men's Under-18 Championship in 2018 and the World Junior Championship in January. He is the youngest player in IIHF history to complete the trifecta.
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by | New York Rangers first round draft pick 2019 |
Succeeded by |
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