It is being reported former Edmonton Oiler and most recently of Lugano in the Switzerland top division goaltender Mikko Koskinen retires. Koskinen last played in the NHL in 2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs for the Oilers. The following season he joined the Lugano squad and has been there ever since.
Iltalehti reports former #LetsGoOilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen will retire.
Source: https://t.co/ynbUgehXRf
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) April 2, 2024
Mikko Koskinen Retires from Professional Hockey
Koskinen was a journeyman of a goalie if ever there was one. He played in Russia, Switzerland, as well as his home Finland. Also, in North America, he spent time in both the ECHL and the AHL before his time in the NHL. The 6’7″ Koskinen was originally drafted by the New York Islanders in 2009. He would play four games for the Islanders in 2010-11. However, he decided to move back to his home country to play. Later, he ended up landing in the KHL. There he really found his game sporting a save percentage of .915 or above through six consecutive seasons. This was also combined with some lengthy playoff runs with St. Petersburg SKA. His play was strong enough to earn himself another shot in the NHL.
A Look Back at his Time in the NHL
In the 2018-19 season, the Edmonton Oilers had their fingers crossed they had their playoff worthy goalie. Koskinen played four seasons for the club in Northern Alberta and posted some decent numbers. Moreover, in what would be his last season with the Oilers, he had an impressive 27-12-4 record. In contrast, he was not able to bring any playoff success to the club. In his first season, despite playing 55 games, the Oilers would go on to finish seventh in the Pacific Division. Furthermore, in his last season, Mike Smith took over the reigns in net, as the Oilers went on to the Western Conference finals. Despite many flashes with brilliance, Koskinen struggled with having bad games. He couldn’t earn his position as the Oilers number one playoff netminder. The pressure to lead a team to playoff success with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl was immense. Therefore, after the 2021-22 season, Koskinen decided to move on from Edmonton, and ultimately the NHL.
The Ups and Downs but Still Had Some Big Victories
For his career statistics, as Mikko Koskinen retires, he had played in 168 NHL games, posting a solid 85-60-13 record. He had a GAA of 3.01 and a SV% of .906. One statistic that points to his inability to have potentially gained more traction in the NHL, was is GSAA which was a -29.5 for his NHL career. Despite this, he did have lots of success playing elsewhere around the globe. His professional career lasted from 2007 until this year’s National League playoffs in Switzerland. He was a two-time World Championship Silver medalist, he once won the KHL goaltender of the year award, and twice captured the Garagin Cup as KHL champion. Perhaps his career in the NHL was not as lengthy as he hoped, but he still was quite successful for a long time. Even in the NHL, he has a solid winning percentage.
Main photo: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
