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Vancouver Canucks sign Harvard goalie Aku Koskenvuo to NHL contract

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Mar 18 2025, 10:45 pm
Vancouver Canucks sign Harvard goalie Aku Koskenvuo to NHL contract
@HarvardMHockey/X

The Vancouver Canucks have another goalie under contract.

Aku Koskenvuo, Vancouver’s fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, has signed a two-year, entry-level contract.

The 22-year-old netminder made the move from his native Finland to Harvard University for the 2022-23 season.Ā Koskenvuo was Harvard’s starting goalie this season, posting a .902 save percentage in 21 games. He appeared in 17 NCAA games in 2023-24, posting a save percentage of .910.

Harvard’s season came to an end two days ago despite Koskenvuo stopping 37 of 39 shots in Sunday’s elimination game against Clarkson University. Koskenvuo started all four of Harvard’s games in the ECAC playoffs, posting a .931 save percentage.

The 6-foot-4 netminder can certainly fill the net, and the Canucks see potential in him. Canucks goalie coach Marko Torenius compared him to Arturs Silovs prior to this season following the Latvian netminder’s outstanding playoff run.

ā€œThey have a lot of similarities in size, athleticism, speed and power,ā€ Torenius told Kevin Woodley of NHL.com.

There’s some uncertainty with regard to the Canucks’ goaltending depth, given all the injury troubles Thatcher Demko has faced. Silovs, who was expected to solidify himself as an everyday NHL netminder this season, has struggled.

Not unrelated, Kevin Lankinen signed to a five-year contract extension to remain with the organization long-term.

Nikita Tolopilo has played the bulk of games (30) in Abbotsford this season, posting a 14-14-2 record and a save percentage of .896.

Other goaltenders in the organization include Ty Young, Vancouver’s fifth-round pick in 2022. Young has split time between the ECHL (.934 SV% in 17 games) and AHL (.905 SV% in nine games) this season.

In his first season in the Canucks organization, Jiri Patera has appeared in just seven AHL games, posting a save percentage of .899.

Tolopilo is a restricted free agent at season’s end, while all the other goalies mentioned are under contract for at least one more year.

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