The Carolina Hurricanes have added another defenseman to their depth chart, recalling Juuso Välimäki from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves after reassigning Charles-Alexis Legault yesterday afternoon.
Välimäki, 27, was taken 16th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 2017 NHL Draft and spent two more seasons with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans before turning pro in 2018-19. His path since then has been anything but smooth, with early stops in Calgary and Stockton producing modest numbers over three seasons: three goals, 16 points, and a minus-4 rating in 82 games while averaging 15:29 of ice time per night.
His next move came after he failed to crack the Flames roster out of training camp the following year, when Arizona claimed him off waivers. That turned into the best stretch of his NHL career. Välimäki led Coyotes defensemen in scoring with four goals and 34 points in 78 games, though 12 of those points came on the power play, and he finished at minus-10.
The momentum didn’t last. Injuries slowed him the next season, and he posted two goals and 17 points in 68 games. The source notes that when he was healthy, his defensive play improved, with his on-ice SV% at even strength rising from 88.3% to 92.5%, but the year was still viewed as a disappointment.
Välimäki stayed with the franchise after the Coyotes became the Utah Mammoth, but the results dipped again. He managed two goals and five points in his first 43 games with a minus-5 rating before going through waivers and landing with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. His first AHL game since 2021-22 ended brutally, as he tore his ACL and saw his 2024-25 season cut short.
He eventually made it back, appearing in three games for Tucson last season. In early January, Utah traded him to Carolina for future considerations, and he finished the year strongly with AHL Chicago, scoring six goals and 20 points in 24 games with a minus-1 rating.
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Ahos start has mattered not just because of the production, but because of the timing of it. His multi-goal outing against the Flyers helped secure Carolinas first win and offered a glimpse of how much the Hurricanes may need him while the roster works through its early-season uncertainty. For now, he is carrying more than his share of the load, and the bigger question is how long Carolina can keep asking him to do it. [Read more 🡒]