Mikko Kokkonen

Mikko Kokkonen (born 18 January 2001) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing with the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect under contract to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] He was selected 84th overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

Mikko Kokkonen
Born (2001-01-18) 18 January 2001
Mikkeli, Finland
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Marlies (AHL)
Jukurit
Lahti Pelicans
NHL Draft 84th overall, 2019
Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career 2016–present

Playing career

Kokkonen played as a youth within hometown club, Mikkelin Jukurit, before becoming the youngest player in history to play in the Liiga during the 2016–17 season.

Following his selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third-round, 84th overall, in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Kokkonen continued his development with Jukurit, appearing in 39 regular season games and collected 3 goals and 10 points in the 2019–20 season.

In his fifth year in the Liiga during the 2020–21 season, Kokkonen was selected as an alternate captain for Jukurit. He made 50 appearances with Mikkelin, adding 1 goal and 10 points.

On 15 April 2021, Kokkonen opted to leave his hometown club, furthering his development by agreeing to a two-year contract with fellow Liiga club, Lahti Pelicans.[2] In order to extend his 2020–21 season, Kokkonen agreed to join the Toronto Maple Leafs AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, for the remainder of the campaign on 16 April 2021.

On 31 March 2022, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they had signed Kokkonen to a three-year, entry level contract, beginning in the 2022–23 season.[3]

International play

Kokkonen represented Finland in the 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships as a defender, where he scored two goals in the course of seven games.

Personal life

He is from the city of Mikkeli.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2016–17 Jukurit Jr. A 38 6 20 26 20 — — — — —
2016–17 Jukurit Liiga 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2016–17 Iisalmen Peli-Karhut Mestis 3 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2017–18 Jukurit Jr. A 14 0 7 7 4 — — — — —
2017–18 Jukurit Liiga 12 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
2017–18 Ketterä Mestis 29 0 9 9 6 3 0 1 1 0
2018–19 Jukurit Liiga 56 3 16 19 20 — — — — —
2018–19 Jukurit Jr. A — — — — — 3 0 3 3 12
2019–20 Jukurit Liiga 39 3 7 10 10 — — — — —
2019–20 Jukurit Jr. A 10 2 1 3 4 2 1 1 2 0
2020–21 Jukurit Liiga 50 1 9 10 20 — — — — —
2020–21 Jukurit Jr. A 2 0 2 2 0 — — — — —
2020–21 Toronto Marlies AHL 11 1 6 7 0 — — — — —
2021–22 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 58 1 14 15 20 3 0 0 0 0
Liiga totals 216 8 46 54 74 3 0 0 0 0
Medal record
Representing  Finland
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place2021 Canada
World U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place2018 Russia

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2016 Finland U17 7th 5 0 0 0 2
2017 Finland IH18 6th 4 1 0 1 4
2018 Finland U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 0 3 3 0
2018 Finland HG18 7th 4 2 1 3 6
2020 Finland WJC 4th 7 2 0 2 4
2021 Finland WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 1 1 0
Junior totals 34 5 5 10 16

References
  1. "Mikko Kokkonen player profile". Elite Prospects. 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  2. "Pelicans announce new additions and contracts" (in Finnish). Lahti Pelicans. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  3. "Maple Leafs sign Mikko Kokkonen to future entry-level contract". Toronto Maple Leafs. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.