The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has claimed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen from the Winnipeg Jets on waivers.

Kahkonen, 28, split his 2023-24 season between the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils, posting a combined record of 7-24-3, .898 Sv%, a 3.64 GAA and one shutout. The goaltender was traded to the Devils on March 8 of last season and finished the season with a .923 Sv% and 2.51 GAA in six appearances in New Jersey.

Since entering the league in 2019-20, Kahkonen has compiled a 49-67-15 record, a .899 Sv%, a 3.33 GAA and four shutouts in 139 NHL games with the Devils, Sharks and Minnesota Wild. The 1.90 meter tall, 100 kilogram goalkeeper recorded a career-high 16 wins with Minnesota in the 2020-21 season and set a personal best in GAA the following season with a clip of 2.87.

Kahkonen played two seasons for the AHL’s Iowa Wild from 2018 to 2020. In his rookie season in 2018–19, he earned an All-Star Game nod and led the league with six shutouts. The following season, Kahkonen was awarded the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as the league’s top goaltender after leading all AHL goaltenders in wins (25) and shutouts (7).

A native of Helsinki, Finland, Kahkonen competed in Finnish professional tournaments from 2013 to 2018, where he posted a .918 Sv%, 2.43 GAA and nine clean sheets in 117 Liiga games. He was named the Mestis League’s best goalkeeper in the 2014-15 season. Other Finnish honors include winning the 2013–14 Finnish Junior League Championship and being named Mestis Rookie of the Year in 2014–15.

At the international level, Kahkonen represented his country at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships, helping the Finns to a gold medal after posting a 4-0-0 record, .909 Sv% and a 2.52 GAA. He was also part of the U18 competition team in 2013 and 2014, winning bronze in 2013.

Kahkonen was originally drafted by the Wild in the fourth round (109th).^Th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.