Juuso Valimaki - NHL News & Rumors

Hits waivers Sunday Valimaki was placed on waivers by the Hurricanes on Sunday.

Impact Valimaki almost left the United States to play in the SHL, but the Canes were able to retain him on a one-year deal. The 27-year-old blueliner was acquired by Carolina from Utah midway through last season, and he ended up playing in 24 regular-season games with AHL Chicago. Valimaki will likely start the year with the Wolves, where he'll look to improve on an impressive 2025-26 campaign of 20 points across 24 regular-season appearances.

SEPTEMBER 27 • ROTOWIRE

Back with Carolina Valimaki signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Hurricanes on Wednesday.

Impact Valimaki signed a two-year deal in the SHL on Tuesday, but it appears the Hurricanes were able to lure him back to North America. He had 23 points in 27 AHL regular-season games as well as 14 points in 21 playoff outings. Valimaki could be some experienced insurance on the blue line after reports emerged Wednesday that the Hurricanes might dangle Alexander Nikishin on the trade market. That said, Valimaki would likely spend at least part of 2026-27 in the AHL again, which would require him to pass through waivers.

JUNE 24 • ROTOWIRE

Off to SHL Valimaki signed a two-year contract with Brynas IF of the SHL on Tuesday.

Impact Valimaki finished the 2025-26 with AHL Chicago after a trade from the Utah organization. The 27-year-old blueliner could still impress in the SHL and work his way back to North America in the future, but his chances of being an NHL regular are slim.

JUNE 24 • ROTOWIRE

Tallies twice in AHL loss Valimaki scored two goals in AHL Chicago's 5-4 overtime loss to Toronto in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals on Sunday.

Impact Valimaki has impressed in the postseason with five goals, eight assists, 33 shots on net and a minus-2 rating over 18 appearances. He'll need to keep chipping in on offense -- the Wolves squandered their home-ice advantage, losing twice in Chicago before the series shifts to Toronto.

JUNE 14 • ROTOWIRE

Two goals in AHL win Valimaki scored twice in AHL Chicago's 5-4 overtime win over Texas in Game 2 on Thursday.

Impact Valimaki did fairly well after he was dealt to the Hurricanes' organization in January, earning 20 points over his last 24 regular-season games of the year. This was his second playoff outing for the Wolves, and he scored his first AHL postseason tallies. The defenseman doesn't seem close to a call-up to the Hurricanes -- they'll likely let him play through the entirety of the Wolves' playoff run.

MAY 1 • ROTOWIRE

Dealt to Carolina Valimaki was traded to the Hurricanes from the Mammoth on Monday in exchange for future considerations, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports.

Impact Valimaki has not appeared in an NHL game since last season. The 27-year-old contributed one goal, three points and a plus-6 rating across three appearances with AHL Tucson in 2025-26, as he missed a large chunk of the season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL. Valimaki will now provide organizational depth for the Hurricanes and report to AHL Chicago.

JANUARY 6 • ROTOWIRE

Sean Durzi scores in OT to give Mammoth 3-2 win over Rangers

Sean Durzi scored 1:06 into overtime and the Utah Mammoth beat the New York Rangers 3-2 for their second win in three games

JANUARY 6 • Associated Press

Waived for AHL demotion Valimaki (knee) was placed on waivers Sunday for the purpose of being assigned to AHL Tucson.

Impact Valimaki appears to be ready to return to action after recovering from a torn ACL, for which he underwent surgery to repair in March. He earned two goals, five points, 40 shots on net, 49 blocked shots and 23 hits in 43 appearances during the 2024-25 NHL regular season.

DECEMBER 28, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Designated for injured, non-roster list Valimaki (knee), as expected, was placed on the injured, non-roster list Monday.

Impact Valimaki wasn't expected back from knee surgery until mid-November at the earliest, so his designation for non-roster injured reserve shouldn't come as a surprise. Given his long-term absence, the Finnish blueliner almost certainly will start with a conditioning stint in the minors before he gets a shot at earning an NHL roster spot.

OCTOBER 6, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Utah defenseman Juuso Valimaki out 8-9 months after surgery to repair a torn ACL

Utah defenseman Juuso Valimaki is expected to be out 8-9 months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL

MARCH 10, 2025 • Associated Press

Undergoes season-ending surgery Valimaki will be out 8-9 months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL, Utah announced Monday.

Impact Valimaki will miss the remainder of 2024-25 and could be out for the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign. He produced two goals, three assists, 40 shots on net, 49 blocked shots and 23 hits in 43 appearances with Utah this season. After passing through waivers in late February, the 26-year-old defender appeared in only one game with AHL Tucson.

MARCH 10, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Utah Hockey Club puts defenseman Juuso Valimaki on waivers

The Utah Hockey Club has put defenseman Juuso Valimaki on waivers

FEBRUARY 23, 2025 • Associated Press

Lands of waivers Valimaki was placed on waivers Sunday.

Impact Valimaki appeared in 43 games for Utah this year, logging two goals and five points, though he'd been a healthy scratch in their last eight contests. The 26-year-old blueliner figures to report to AHL Tucson, should he clear waivers.

FEBRUARY 23, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Kevin Lankinen to replace Juuse Saros in goal for Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off vs. Sweden

Finland is making a change in net for its second game of the 4 Nations Face-Off

FEBRUARY 14, 2025 • Associated Press

Picks up helper in win Valimaki notched an assist and three blocked shots in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Blues.

Impact Valimaki helped out on a Logan Cooley tally in the second period. The assist ended an 11-game point drought for Valimaki, who had 13 blocked shots, nine hits, eight shots on net and a minus-7 rating in that span. He's held onto a bottom-four role for much of the season, earning five points, 36 shots on net, 45 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating over 39 appearances. Valimaki's place in the lineup could be at risk once Mikhail Sergachev (upper body) and Roberto Bortuzzo (lower body) are both healthy again.

JANUARY 19, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Garners assist Sunday Valimaki notched an assist in Sunday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Ducks.

Impact The helper ended a four-game slump for Valimaki, who continues to fill a third-pairing role. The 26-year-old has held onto his spot in the lineup as injuries on Utah's blue line have been a factor for much of the season. Valimaki is at a modest four points with 27 shots on net, 29 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 27 appearances.

DECEMBER 23, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Pots goal in shootout loss Valimaki scored a goal on four shots, added two hits and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Wild.

Impact Valimaki has goals in back-to-back contests and three points over his last six games. The 26-year-old is likely to get a little more security in the lineup since Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) is expected to miss some time after suffering an injury Tuesday. Valimaki is up to three points, 24 shots on net, 23 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating across 22 appearances.

DECEMBER 11, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Matt Boldy scores the only goal in a shootout to send the Wild past Utah 5-4

Matt Boldy was the only scorer in the shootout and lifted the Minnesota Wild to a 5-4 victory over the Utah Hockey Club

DECEMBER 11, 2024 • Associated Press

Lights lamp Sunday Valimaki scored a goal and blocked two shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Flyers.

Impact Valimaki earned his second point over the last five games by scoring in the second period Sunday. The 26-year-old has seen steady playing time since Maveric Lamoureux (upper body) exited the lineup. Utah has three injured blueliners, and they're all at least a month away from a return, so Valimaki has a chance to carve out a role for himself. He's produced two points, 20 shots on net, 21 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating across 21 appearances in 2024-25, playing in a bottom-four role.

DECEMBER 9, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Logan Cooley breaks tie on power play, helps Utah beat the Flyers 4-2

Logan Cooley broke a tie on power play late in the second period and had an assist to help Utah beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 on Sunday night

DECEMBER 9, 2024 • Associated Press

Opportunity knocking Valimaki notched an assist, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Oilers.

Impact Utah announced prior to the game that Maveric Lamoureux will miss 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury. Valimaki was given the first chance to fill the empty spot in the lineup, though he may have to compete with Vladislav Kolyachonok during Lamoureux's absence. Valimaki was scratched for the previous four games, and prior to Friday, he didn't have a point this season. He's added 15 shots on net, 16 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating over 17 appearances. The Finn is unlikely to be a power-play threat, but Utah's injury woes have allowed Valimaki to stick in the NHL, and that could open the door for him to try to figure things out after a rough first quarter of the campaign.

NOVEMBER 30, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Healthy scratch Saturday Valimaki was a healthy scratch Saturday against the Kings.

Impact Valimaki has no points in eight games so far, and he's seen his ice time drop from 22:30 to 17:43 over the last four games. He's minus-7 in that span. Valimaki had seemingly turned around his queasy defensive play last season, but he's really struggled out of the gate. The view from the media box will give him a different perspective on what he needs to do when he returns to the lineup. Valimaki has a 34-point season under his belt, but he will need to step things up significantly to make a fantasy impact this year.

OCTOBER 27, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Re-ups with Utah Valimaki signed a two-year contract with Utah on Saturday.

Impact Per PuckPedia, the deal carries a $2 million cap hit. Valimaki took a step back on offense last year with 17 points over 68 contests, a year removed from a 34-point campaign. Part of the decrease can be explained by a reduced power-play role, and Valimaki also improved from minus-10 in 2022-23 to plus-12 in 2023-24, showing improved defense. The 25-year-old is likely to fill a bottom-four role for Utah.

JUNE 29, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Contributes assist in win Valimaki supplied an assist, two hits and three blocked shots in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Oilers.

Impact Valimaki picked up three helpers over the last nine games of the campaign. The 25-year-old defenseman's play took a step back this year with 17 points through 68 appearances. He shored up his defense a bit with a plus-12 rating and 90 blocked shots. Valimaki is set for restricted free agency this summer. The team has no NHL-level defensemen under contract for 2024-25, but it has five RFAs to negotiate with.

APRIL 18, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Chips in with helper Valimaki provided an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 8-5 loss to the Rangers.

Impact Valimaki snapped a nine-game point drought when he set up Logan Cooley's third-period tally. It's been a tough year for Valimaki, who has 15 points, 61 shots on net, 72 blocked shots, 57 hits and a plus-8 rating over 60 appearances. He remains a constant in the lineup, but he typically sees bottom-four minutes and his power-play time is sporadic.

MARCH 31, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

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