The origin stories of Kraken prospects and fellow goaltenders Niklas Kokko and Visa Vedenpaa have many similarities, starting with them growing up and playing for their hometown team in Oulu, Finland. But there are differences in how the two teenagers embraced the positions that led to them being selected by the Kraken in the past two NHL drafts.
Selected 58th overall in the second round in 2022, Cocco followed a route familiar to many who have settled in the goal crease: a frozen pond, a community rink or a home’s basement. It was, you guessed it, the older sibling who first assigned Cocco that spot on the ice.
“My brother always put me in the goal when we played,” Cocco said lightly and emphatically in a conversation this week.
Vedenper, who was drafted with the 168th pick in the sixth round last summer, started out as a skater and has been playing the sport since pre-school, with friends participating. After a few seasons, his position and the course of his hockey changed innocently but dramatically for the better.
“When I was 7 or 8 years old, I tried out for goalie,” Vedenper said Monday night, still early in the morning (10 hours early) in Seattle. “I loved it right away.”
The two Finns have a storied hockey history, having previously been U18 and U20 teammates in the youth teams of Oulun Karpat (also known as Karpat in Finland’s top professional league, Liga). There are many things that are very similar to each other. When asked what motivated them to stay in their positions, both men cited similar motivations.
“I like that the goalkeeper can have a big impact on the result,” Kokko enthused again. “It plays a big role!”
“I love that a team wins or loses based on the goaltender’s performance,” Vedenper said.
Both goalkeepers have each attracted attention from the Finnish national team this season. Cocco represented his country at the 2024 World Juniors, where he did well in the qualifying round with an overtime victory over rival and host Sweden. Vedenpaa played in two of the four matches of the tournament with Finland’s U20 team earlier this month, netting in a 7-2 win over Sweden and playing well in the eventual 2-1 loss to Switzerland.
“It was really good to play with some of the best players in the world of my generation and see what the level is like,” Kokko said of Finland’s run to the semi-finals but no medals. . “It didn’t go as planned, but it was a really great experience.”
For Wedenper, the “biggest thing” about the U20 tournament was “knowing where I stand” against the best players in Europe at his age level. Amateur scouts have similar appreciation for age-group tournaments, which are a valuable measuring stick for elite-level players.
Vedenpaa, who was loaned to Hermes from Karpat Club and returned to the Hermes team of Mestis in Finland’s second division professional league, said, “I was able to move forward with confidence after the two games I played.” The 18-year-old earned his chance at the professional level after compiling a 12-5 record (.900 save percentage, 2.25 goals-against average) with the Karpat U20s. He is 6-5 with Hermes (.887, 3.15 batting average).
Goaltenders tend to require more development time than forwards or defensemen to realize their NHL dreams. Both Cocco and Wedenper have had solid performances early on as Seattle prospects. Cocco started the year with Karpat in La Liga, but was then loaned (a form of trade in La Liga) to Lahti Pelicans (simply called “Pelicans” in the league standings).
So far, the move has gone well, even though Kokko currently plays for a team that is a six-hour drive from Oulu on Finland’s central coast to Lahti in the south. He has already posted two shutouts as part of a 3-0-1 record in four starts with the Pelicans and is averaging an impressive 1.29 points per game and .933 save percentage heading into this weekend’s game. is left behind.
“We’re adjusting well here,” Lahti’s Kokko said this week. “I appreciate how people made me feel comfortable. I knew some of the players and coaches before I came here, but it’s nice to meet new people.”
Oulu, the goaltender’s hometown, has produced 17 NHL players (according to Quanto Hockey), including active players San Jose forward Mikael Granlund and Buffalo defenseman Henri Jokiharju, but the world Only one Oulu goalkeeper has played in the highest league. Levi Melilainen, 21, currently in the American Hockey League, played in two games for Ottawa last season as a 2020 third-round pick of the Senators. Melilainen, like Kokko and Wedenper, is a Karpat graduate.
Of course, Finland has produced many of the best goalies of all time, including Boston’s Tuukka Rask, Nashville’s Pekka Rinne, and relative unknown Antti Niemi, who won the 2010 Stanley Cup with Chicago. Finland has produced 40 NHL goaltenders, including eight currently on NHL teams, most notably Rinne’s successor in Nashville, Juuse It is Saros.
Like other Kraken prospects, Cocco and Wedenper are in regular contact with Seattle’s player development staff. Cocco said he “works with a physical trainer every day” and “frequently collaborates with a sports psychologist.”
Vedenper said he and Kraken are working on “growing a little bit taller and getting a bigger stance.” [upward] And a little further forward. ”
“It’s an adjustment,” Wedenper said. “But I’m getting used to it. At the end of the day, I like this stance better.”