Another healthy former NHL draft pick forced to retire due to heart issues at 24
The Chicago Blackhawks drafted Mikael Hakkarainen 139th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Hakkarainen had a very productive career in the USHL before finally transitioning to the American Hockey League. Between 2019 and 2021 Hakkarainen transitioned between the AHL and ECHL.
Unfortunately for Hakkarainen he never was able to produce as a professional hockey player. In 14 AHL games he didn't net a single point, while in the ECHL he potted 5 points in 9 games.
Last summer Hakkarainen was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Marc-Andre Fleury. Hakkarainen would never play a game for the Knights and would return to Europe. He would go onto play 26 games for Vasteras IK last season, scoring 3 goals and adding 11 assists.
This season though Hakkarainen was unable to play at all and now it's been revealed that his hockey career is over.
According to sources the 24-year-old has been diagnosed with congenital heart disease. This is not something that had ever shown on any of Hakkarainen's physicals in the past.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 5 | 146 ANSWERS Another healthy former NHL draft pick forced to retire due to heart issues at 24 What is the best division in the NHL? | ||
| Atlantic | 38 | 26 % |
| Metropolitan | 47 | 32.2 % |
| Pacific | 24 | 16.4 % |
| Central | 37 | 25.3 % |
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