Hakala competed in junior races from 2012 to 2015. In February 2013 he became Finnish junior sprint champion. At the beginning of the 2013/14 season he started in the Scandinavian Cup in Vuokatti for the first time and finished 171st place over 15 km classic. At the Junior World Championships 2015 in Astana he came in 28th place in the sprint. At the beginning of the 2015/16 season he scored his first points in the Scandinavian Cup in Vuokatti with 11th place in the sprint. In January 2016 he ran his first World Cup race in Planica , which he finished in 28th place in the sprint and thus also got his first World Cup points. The following month he won 19th place in the sprint at the Junior World Championships in Râşnov . At the 2017 U23 World Championships in Soldier Hollow , he finished 50th in the 15 km freestyle and 45th place in the sprint.