The NHL season is still just under a month away from starting, but Kaapo Kakko is already looking really good.
Check out this game-winning overtime goal that Kakko scored Monday against the Minnesota Wild at the 2019 Traverse City prospect tournament.
Kaapo KakkOT. #NYR pic.twitter.com/jL0fkgImOw
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 9, 2019He went around the net not once, but twice, and the crowd in attendance reacted accordingly. It was truly a stunning unassisted goal for the youngster.
The Rangers took the 18-year-old Finnish star second overall in June's NHL Draft. It was the New Jersey Devils who essentially made that decision for New York, as Jack Hughes and Kakko were clearly the two best prospects available at the top of the draft. The Devils picked Hughes, and the Rangers were more than happy to take Kakko.
Looking at that clip, it's not hard to see why Kakko was rated as the best European talent available for selection in Vancouver this summer.
An illness had kept Kakko out of the first two games of the tournament in Traverse City, Michigan, but he clearly didn't miss a beat upon his return to the ice.
After the game, Kakko was beaming when asked about the goal, and he passed along a lesson an old coach had taught him for overtime.
"I remember my old coach like two years ago told me, 'In overtime, don't pass.' So I didn't."— Kaapo Kakko, ladies and gentlemen. pic.twitter.com/FaCU7WYXI0
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 9, 2019It's safe to say that Kaapo Kakko has a bright future. He's slated to officially begin his NHL career on October 3rd when the Winnipeg Jets come to Madison Square Garden for the season opener.
