Maple Leafs prospect Mikko Kokkonen signs 1-year deal in Swedish Hockey League

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Mikko Kokkonen is headed back to Scandinavia.

On Monday, the Linköping Hockey Club of the Swedish Hockey League announced that the 24-year-old Finnish defender has signed a one-year contract with the team for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Kokkonen heads to Sweden after spending the last stretch of his career with the Toronto Marlies after being selected in the third round by the Maple Leafs organization in the 2019 entry draft. He originally made his Marlies debut in the 2020-21 season with 11 games played before heading back to Finland’s Liiga for a year. Kokkonen then spent the last three seasons with the Marlies, including a brief eight-game stint with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers in 2022.

Kokkonen recorded nine goals and 47 assists in 162 games played with the Marlies. The 6-foot defenceman also took on a leadership role with the Marlies last season as an assistant captain. After the expiry of his entry-level contract this summer, he was not given a qualifying offer from the Maple Leafs.

One year ago, Kokkonen was ranked #14 in The Leafs Nation’s 2024 Prospect Rankings. Here’s some of what The Leafs Nation’s Arun Srinivasan had to say on the defensive prospect at the time: 

Mikko Kokkonen’s game has often been described as safe, intelligent, responsible and mature … The problem for Kokkonen is that these qualities haven’t always translated against NHL mainstays. Kokkonen is happy to enter the rush at the AHL level and at this point, he’ll roast ECHL opponents but he’s not confident enough to join the rush against NHL players, where his recovery speed is effectively neutralized.

Kokkonen originally started his career in his native Finland, playing through the development system of Jukurit in Liiga, the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. He also has multiple international appearances with his native Finland, including twice at the World Juniors. In 2021, he served as assistant captain for the Finns at the tournament as they took home the bronze medal in a 4-1 victory over Russia.

“It feels fantastic to come to Linköping,” Kokkonen said, in a translation of a Swedish press release from the team. “I’m really looking forward to meeting the boys and getting started with the team as soon as possible.”

Heading to Sweden, Kokkonen is likely to get more top minutes and a chance to improve his on-ice skills to prime himself for a possible return to North America. Should he decide to try to make a move back to the NHL, the Maple Leafs still hold his rights through 2028, when he turns 27 and becomes an unrestricted free agent.