Kaapo Kakko: Forechecking Lock
Kaapo Kakko has turned into a really great fit inside Seattle’s top-six alongside some of the younger players on the team, where Kakko has brought the ability to score in many different ways and the ability to be a precise forechecker on a regular basis. With the Rangers, Kakko was always a player who did a better job forechecking considering he was playing more of a middle-six style role there, and he learned to get better at forechecking and how to hunt pucks down while maintaining positioning.
Kakko has always been used to being F1 in on the forecheck since wingers are naturally taught to be F1 and F2 usually, with F3 the center in good track back position in case of a transition against opportunity. With Kakko, he knows that it takes pace and angling to forecheck, but also locking guys down and making sure he is square to the opponent to track them easier.
When forechecking for any player, not just wingers, but the better they are able to track players down via locking (staying square), this allows players to put themselves in better position to anticipate where the puck is going.
Kakko did a great job of this on his wraparound goal last night against Utah, where he was able to forecheck via locking and then he was able to anticipate the puck’s route going behind the net, allowing him to skate directly into the puck and wrap the puck around the net with pace.
Kakko did a great job getting into the puck and aligning his body to the puck so he didn’t have to turn and potentially lose speed by pivoting. By being in a good angle to the puck with his body, that allows him to skate directly into the puck with speed and not allow the goaltender to get set up on their post.
Kakko is able to wrap this puck around immediately and is able to find space around the net, and tucks the puck in for his lone goal of the game.