Mikko Koskinen 2010-11 SEASON REVIEW:

Mikko Koskinen
Date Of birth: July 18, 1988 (2010-11 Season Age: 22)
Place Of birth: Vantaa, Finland
Height: 6-5
Weight: 187
Catching Hand: Left
AHL Season: 2nd AHL Season
Drafted by: New York Islanders in the 2nd round (31st overall) of the 2009 draft
Acquired: Originally drafted by the Isles

2010-11 Season Stats:
Sound Tigers  AHL: GP: 36 GAA: 3.49 W: 12 L: 21 OTL: 1 SAVE %: 0.892

New York Islanders  NHL: GP: 4 GAA: 4.33 W: 2 L: 1 OTL:0 SAVE %:0.873

Short-Term Status:

Next season Mikko Koskinen will split time with Kevin Poulin for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. If he continues to play like he did this year, I would not be surprised if Poulin becomes Bridgeport's clearcut number one while Koskinen rides the bench.

Long-Term Status: 
The Islanders invested a lot into Mikko Koskinen by using their 31st overall draft selection on him. He has a LONG way to go before he justifies that reach of a pick and proves he is worthy of being a serious prospect for the Isles future. To be honest with all the goalies the Isles have in the pipeline, I wouldn't be surprised if the Isles maybe tried to trade Koskinen in a deal for an established player sometime in the near future. 

Contract Status:

LENGTH: 3 YEAR(S)     VALUE: $2,700,000     TYPE: ENTRY LEVEL     EXPIRY STATUS: RFA (2012)
SEASON	AHL SALARY	NHL SALARY	P. BONUSES	S. BONUS	CAP HIT
2009-10	$67,500	$900,000	$250,000	—	$1,150,000
2010-11	$67,500	$900,000	$250,000	—	$1,150,000
2011-12	$67,500	$900,000	$250,000	—	$1,150,000

Review:

When the Islanders chose Mikko Koskinen 31st overall in the 2009 draft, I remember thinking "What the hell?"....and to be honest he has not done anything to change that thought. This season was not an easy one for the 22 year old goaltender. Due to injuries, trades, and players not fulfilling contracts (aka. Nabokov), he was Bridgeport's starter down the stretch and unfortunately he was not too impressive. He was nine games under .500 and although that's partially because the Sound Tigers were one of the worst team's in the AHL, it's mainly due to the fact that he had a 3.49 goal's against average which is the worst GAA season total of any of the ten goaltender's in Sound Tigers history  who have played at least 34 games for them. As expected, his save percentage is also not where he would have wanted it to be with a 0.892. Now with those type of stats, one would think he wouldn't even get to sniff the NHL yet but thanks to all the unfortunate circumstances previously mentioned he was thrown into the fire and given four NHL games. His record was actually above .500 and although his GAA and Save Percentage look bad, given the fact he was not doing well in the AHL, he did a good job in his stint with the Isles. I think it's pretty obvious that the problem in his play is he has yet to figure out exactly how to use his size in the North American game. He seems to drop down too quickly and just rely on taking up the net while on his knee's. That will work occasionally but if he were able to harness his size he could become a Pekke Rinne but that's a BIG if. His lateral movement looked good when he stayed on his feet which I found surprising considering his big frame. He is still VERY raw and I personally believe he would have been best served by spending this whole season in the ECHL not the AHL and especially not the NHL. I am worried his development might have been seriously hurt, so it will be interesting to see what path his career ends up going down.

Season Grade (A+ to F-): C-
I am not going to lie, I expected a lot more out of Mikko Koskinen. Coming back from a serious injury that held him to only 8 games in his first North American season, I thought he would play his absolute best hockey with his restored health. Next season will be vital to his career if he ever wants to play in the NHL.

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