REPORT: Mikko Koskinen is likely to play in Switzerland next season

It looks like Mikko Koskinen is ready to return to Europe.

Swiss Hockey News reported on Friday afternoon that Koskinen was likely to ink a deal in Switzerland’s National League for the 2022-23 season. About an hour later, Bob Hartley, who’s now coaching in the KHL, said that Koskinen has already signed a contract with HC Lugano in Switzerland for next season.

Koskinen was drafted by the New York Islanders in the second round of the 2009 draft. He came over to North America and spent two seasons between the Islanders’ ECHL and AHL affiliated and played in four games with the big league club in 2010-11. Koskinen returned to Finland in 2011-12 and really hit his stride a few years later when he signed with SKA ST. Petersburg of the KHL.

The 2017-18 season was huge for Koskinen. He put up a .937 save percentage in 29 regular season games and a .935 save percentage in 15 playoff games for St. Petersburg and also posted a .932 save percentage across five games for Finland at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

That showing ultimately earned Koskinen a one-year deal with the Oilers and his first real look as an NHL goaltender. Koskinen put up a .906 save percentage over 55 games in 2018-19. The Oilers liked what they saw and signed Koskinen to a three-year contract extension and traded Cam Talbot, his goalie tandem partner, to the Philadelphia Flyers.

All told, Koskinen posted a .907 save percentage in 164 games over the course of four seasons with the Oilers.

It isn’t much of a surprise that the Oilers are moving on from Koskinen, as they have Mike Smith signed for one more season while Stuart Skinner proved this season that he’s ready for regular NHL duty.