| Kevin Lankinen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Lankinen at the 2020 AHL All-Star Game | |||
| Born | (1995-04-28)28 April 1995 (age 29) Helsinki, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Vancouver Canucks Jokerit HIFK KooKoo Chicago Blackhawks Nashville Predators | ||
| National team |  Finland | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2014–present | ||
Kevin Lankinen (born 28 April 1995) is a Finnish professionalice hockeygoaltender for theVancouver Canucks of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for theChicago Blackhawks andNashville Predators.
Lankinen has played primarily forHIFK of theLiiga from 2014 to 2018. He also played one match forJokerit and two forKooKoo, and 10 forKiekko-Vantaa ofMestis.[1][2]
In 2014, Lankinen signed a three-year contract with HIFK.[3] In the 2015 playoffs, he participated in the longest game in Liiga's history, lasting 134 minutes and 14 seconds. His team won 2–1 and advanced to the quarterfinals.[4]
In the summer of 2015, Lankinen participated in theNew York Islanders development camp.[5]
During the2015–16 season, Lankinen played alongsideVille Husso, playing 22 games in the regular season, as well as three in the playoffs as his team won silver medals.[6] During the2016–17 season, Lankinen was a secondary goaltender alongside the more experiencedNiklas Bäckström, but due to Bäckström's injuries, he became the primary goaltender and played in 42 games, seven of which were shutouts, the most in the league that season.[7]
During the2017–18 season, Lankinen was injured and unable to play for a large portion of the season.[8] However, he made a successful comeback by playing 15 games in the regular season with four shutouts and a save percentage of 94.58 percent. His goals against average (GAA) was 1.33, the lowest in the league that season. During the playoffs, he played as the primary goaltender for 13 games with a save percentage of 93.56 percent,[9] helping his team win bronze medals. He was in the running for theUrpo Ylönen trophy, which is awarded to the best goaltender of the season, alongsideVeini Vehviläinen fromOulun Kärpät andDominik Hrachovina fromTappara,[10] but the award went to Vehviläinen.
On 21 May 2018, Lankinen signed a two-year, entry-level contract with theChicago Blackhawks of theNational Hockey League (NHL).[11]
In his second season with the Blackhawks'American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, theRockford IceHogs, in the2019–20 season, Lankinen made 21 appearances, earning eight wins and represented the IceHogs as the teams' lone representative at the 2020AHL All-Star Game. On 5 March 2020, Lankinen was ruled out for the remainder of the 2019–20 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, with a recovery period of five months.[12]
On 19 January 2021, Lankinen made his NHL debut, losing 5–4 in overtime to theFlorida Panthers.[13] On 22 January, Lankinen earned his first NHL win in a 4–1 win against theDetroit Red Wings.[14] His first NHL shutout came on 17 February, in the Blackhawks' 2–0 win over the Detroit Red Wings.[15] His2020—21 season record was 17–14–5.
During the2021—22 season, Lankinen served as the backup toMarc-André Fleury. Lankinen struggled to begin the season, not recording his first win until 7 November 2021, in a game against theNashville Predators. After Fleury was traded to theMinnesota Wild, Lankinen became the starter, leading the team to a 5–9–3 record following the trade. He ended the season with a 8–15–6 record and a 3.50 goals against average.
As a free agent from the Blackhawks, on 14 July 2022, Lankinen was signed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Nashville Predators.[16] He was brought in to serve as a backup toJuuse Saros. On 3 March 2023, the Predators signed Lankinen to a one-year, $2 million contract extension.[17] Across his two seasons in Nashville, Lankinen posted a 20–14–1 record and a .912 save percentage.
On 21 September 2024, Lankinen agreed to a one-year, $875,000 contract with theVancouver Canucks.[18] On 1 December, Lankinen recorded a 5–4 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings, becoming the first goaltender in NHL history to win 10 consecutive road games to begin a season.[19]
On 21 February 2025, Lankinen signed a five-year, $22.5 million contract extension with the Canucks.[20]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sice hockey | ||
| Representing Finland | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2019 Slovakia | |
Lankinen representedFinland national team in the2019 World Championship, winning gold. Throughout the tournament, he had the second-highestsave percentage of 94.20% and agoals against average of 1.50. He served as the goaltender for each playoff game.[21]
Lankinen likes to read and namesSapiens byYuval Noah Harari as his favourite book. Another favourite of his isThe Dirt – an autobiography ofMötley Crüe.[22] Lankinen has opened a Facebook-based book club with Finnish publisher WSOY.[23]
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2011–12 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1.00 | .950 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2.92 | .910 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 36 | — | — | — | — | 83 | — | 2.33 | .917 | 4 | — | — | — | 9 | — | 2.09 | .931 | ||
| 2013–14 | Jokerit | Liiga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 7.16 | .667 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Kiekko-Vantaa | Mestis | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3.29 | .906 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | HIFK | Liiga | 24 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 1,307 | 50 | 0 | 2.29 | .911 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 414 | 12 | 0 | 1.74 | .933 | ||
| 2015–16 | HIFK | Liiga | 22 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 1,294 | 51 | 0 | 2.36 | .906 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 180 | 10 | 0 | 3.33 | .891 | ||
| 2015–16 | KooKoo | Liiga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 128 | 5 | 0 | 2.34 | .919 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | HIFK | Liiga | 42 | 13 | 19 | 9 | 2,443 | 87 | 7 | 2.14 | .920 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 768 | 32 | 0 | 2.50 | .906 | ||
| 2017–18 | HIFK | Liiga | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 900 | 20 | 4 | 1.33 | .940 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 756 | 25 | 0 | 1.99 | .934 | ||
| 2017–18 | Ketterä | Mestis | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1.50 | .924 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 19 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 1,151 | 48 | 0 | 2.50 | .910 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Indy Fuel | ECHL | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 358 | 19 | 0 | 3.18 | .893 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 21 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 1,190 | 60 | 0 | 3.03 | .909 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 37 | 17 | 14 | 5 | 2,174 | 109 | 2 | 3.01 | .909 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 32 | 8 | 15 | 6 | 1,816 | 106 | 0 | 3.50 | .891 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 19 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1,070 | 49 | 0 | 2.75 | .916 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 24 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 1,191 | 56 | 1 | 2.82 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Liiga totals | 105 | 43 | 37 | 22 | 6,073 | 213 | 11 | 2.10 | .918 | 35 | 17 | 15 | 2118 | 79 | 0 | 2.24 | .921 | ||||
| NHL totals | 112 | 45 | 43 | 12 | 6,251 | 320 | 3 | 3.07 | .905 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Finland | WC |  | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 481 | 12 | 2 | 1.50 | .942 | |
| 2025 | Finland | 4NF | 4th | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 87 | 7 | 0 | 4.84 | .811 | |
| Senior totals | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 568 | 19 | 2 | 2.01 | .922 | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Jr. A | ||
| Jorma Valtonen Award | 2014 | |
| First All-Star Team | 2014 | |
| AHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2020 | |