When the Carolina Hurricanes land in Helsinki next week for the 2026 NHL Global Series, the trip will carry a little extra meaning for two players who have forced their way into the conversation. Juuso Välimäki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi have both turned limited openings into real production, and both have put themselves in position to skate in front of a home crowd in Finland on Nov. 12 and Nov. 14 against the Seattle Kraken.
The Hurricanes are headed overseas for the first time in 16 years, with their last international game coming in 2010. Sebastian Aho was 13 years old then, and now he’s set to play on the same ice that Jussi Jokinen, Joni Pitkanen, and Tuomo Ruutu once used while representing Carolina. But Aho won’t be the only Finn with a strong case to be part of the trip.
Välimäki has been one of the team’s best feel-good stories early this season. He made his Hurricanes debut on Oct. 20 against the Vancouver Canucks after waiting 632 days to dress for an NHL game following an ACL injury in 2025.
Since getting that chance, he’s made it count. In six games, he has two goals and three points, already matching his goal total from both 2023-24 with the Arizona Coyotes and 2024-25 with the Utah Hockey Club.
He’s also three goals shy of the career-high four he set in 2022-23 with Arizona.
His play has earned praise inside the room, too. After Carolina’s 7-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday afternoon, Sean Walker was blunt about what Välimäki has brought to the lineup: “He fit into the system right away.
Really smart defenseman, knows how to make plays. Obviously, that’s why he’s getting second power play unit time.
He does a lot of really good things with the puck. Him getting rewarded with a goal tonight is just an accumulation of him playing really good hockey.
So it’s been great. He slotted in really well and from the first game has added and been an asset to our team.”
Välimäki also made his own case when asked about the Finland trip after morning skate on Oct. 27 before the game against the Boston Bruins. On the chance to play back home, he said, “That would be pretty awesome.
Once in a lifetime opportunity, I think. It’s been a long time since a lot of people have seen me play live and all that.
But you know, Finland loves hockey, so it’s going to be a pretty big deal back there. It would just be cool to go into some spots that I know.
You don’t get to go home ever during the season. So I would definitely be excited about it, and hopefully, I’ll be there.”
With the Alexander Nikishin contract situation stretching into late October, Välimäki grabbed the regular minutes in front of him and ran with them. Now, with the Global Series just 10 days away, he’s made a strong push to be on that plane.
Kotkaniemi has done the same thing in a different role. After an uneven 2025-26 season, the Finnish forward has looked far more comfortable in 2026-27 once injuries opened a path back into the lineup.
Jordan Staal and Mark Jankowski were out, and when the latter returned, Kotkaniemi had already used the opportunity to establish himself again. Through 14 games, he has four goals and seven points, which already tops his goal total from last season, when he scored twice in 42 games, and leaves him three points short of surpassing that mark as well.
Last season was rough for Kotkaniemi. He dealt with injury, spent most of the year as a healthy scratch, and didn’t appear in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Still, because he played in 42 games and cleared the 41-game minimum, his name is on the Stanley Cup. This season has looked much more like a reset for the Pori, Finland, native.
With Staal out for at least a few more weeks, it would be difficult to leave Kotkaniemi out of the lineup for Helsinki. He has settled in as Carolina’s fourth-line center under Rod Brind’Amour and is playing a more North-South game while using his size to his advantage. He’s also doing the little things that matter: winning board battles, taking faceoffs, and bringing the kind of physical presence he had not always shown on a nightly basis in the past.
However the roster shakes out for the games in Finland, Välimäki and Kotkaniemi have both done enough to make the decision easy. For two Finnish players in particular, the chance to play NHL games at home is rare. Both have earned it.
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