Carolina Hurricanes assign Janne Kuokkanen to AHL Charlotte Checkers

It took longer than anyone expected, but Janne Kuokkanen is at last headed to the AHL.

The Carolina Hurricanes announced Monday that the rookie right wing has been reassigned to the Charlotte Checkers. After making the team out of training camp, Kuokkanen made his debut on opening night and played in four games while serving as a healthy scratch in six others. He was held scoreless in his four games in the Canes’ lineup.

Hurricanes coach Bill Peters indicated yesterday that Kuokkanen would have been sent to Charlotte on Saturday if not for the injury suffered by Teuvo Teravainen on Friday against the Blues. That injury gave Kuokkanen an opportunity for an encore last night, and he played 11:14 against the Ducks, skating to a minus-3.

The release from the team is below.

CANES ASSIGN JANNE KUOKKANEN TO CHARLOTTE

Forward played in four games with the Hurricanes this season

Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has assigned forward Janne Kuokkanen to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Kuokkanen, 19, played in four games with the Hurricanes this season and made his NHL/Hurricanes debut on Oct. 7 against Minnesota. The Oulunsalo, Finland, native recorded 62 points (26g, 36a) in 60 games with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) last season and made his professional debut in Game 3 of Charlotte’s first-round Calder Cup Playoff series at Chicago (4/23). Kuokkanen was drafted by the Hurricanes in the second round, 43rd overall, in the 2016 NHL Draft.