The Iowa Wild's Kaapo Kahkonen has been recognized as the American Hockey League's outstanding goaltender for the 2019-20 season, winning the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award.
Iowa Wild's Kaapo Kahkonen voted AHL's outstanding goaltender
The Iowa Wild's Kaapo Kahkonen has been recognized as the American Hockey League's outstanding goaltender for the 2019-20 season.
May 26, 2020 at 7:22PM
This award is voted on by coaches, players and members of the media in each of the league's 31 cities.
Also named a 2019-20 First Team All-Star last week, Kahkonen helped Iowa to the best regular-season record in franchise history by going 25-6-3. His 25 victories and seven shutouts ranked first in the AHL, and his goals-against average (2.07) and save percentage (.927) were fourth. Kahkonen finished the season on a 10-1-1 run in which he posted a 1.16 goals-against average, .961 save percentage and five shutouts.
A native of Helsinki, Finland, the 23-year-old also made his NHL debut during the season with the Wild and went 3-1-1 with a 2.96 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. Kahkonen, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2014 by the Wild, is 42-20-11. He's the first goalie since Martin Biron (1997-99) to lead the AHL in shutouts in consecutive seasons.
The Wild head toward a big game against Dallas with one of the NHL’s best records but also with health concerns after Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello exited injured.
