Miska Kukkonen

August 2020 – Kukkonen played just 19 games with Lukko during the 2019-2020 Liiga season before being sidelined with an injury in January 2020. He averaged 13:59 of time on ice per game and played a third-pairing role. Eight other defencemen played 27 or more games with Lukko this season, making it difficult for the 19-year-old defenceman to find a consistent role with the club. He sometimes makes ill-advised decisions with the puck and can be prone to mistakes. After missing the cut at the 2020 IIHF World Juniors, Kukkonen needs to prove that he can play at a sufficient level among his current peers before the Buffalo Sabres can begin to consider him a realistic option. Kevin Wong

February 2020 – Kukkonen had surgery in January and will be out of the lineup for the remainder of the season. Lukko has announced on their official twitter handle that his timeline is four to six months. Prior to his injury, he had appeared in 19 games for Lukko and recorded two assists. Josh Tessler

November 2019 – Miska Kukkonen has had a rocky first full season in the Liiga playing for Lukko. In 18 appearances, he has recorded two assists and 20 PIM. Unfortunately, as of late Kukkonen has seen a reduction in his ice time. With Winnipeg Jets prospect Ville Heinola back with Lukko after his short stint in the NHL, Kukkonen has been the odd man out. Given the defensive depth that Lukko has, perhaps we might see Kukkonen dealt to another Liiga club as teams gear up for a playoff run. In addition, there is a chance that Kukkonen could suit up for Team Finland (Team Suomi) at the World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic. If he does end up playing for Finland, there is a good chance that he will be playing alongside Heinola, Anttoni Honka, Rasmus Kupari and Anton Lundell.  Josh Tessler

September 2018 – With their fifth round selection, Buffalo went with Miska Kukkonen, a smooth-skating two-way Finnish defenseman who played out the last year in the Jr. A SM-liiga with Ilves U20. He is now playing for Tappara and has once again started the year in the Jr.A with promise of playing in the Liiga later in the year. Kukkonen is considered an overlooked talent on both ends of the ice. He pairs some good vision and passing skills with his skating ability and has some good defensive abilities. Kukkonen needs to work on his strength to make it to the NHL, but he is looking like a great bet late in the draft. Marcus Griep