Mammoth trade Juuso Valimaki to Hurricanes for future considerations
The Utah Mammoth have traded defenseman Juuso Valimaki to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations, the club announced Monday evening.
Valimaki, 27, has appeared in three games with the American Hockey League’s Tucson Roadrunners this season, collecting one goal and three points, and is under contract through the end of the 2025-26 season at a $2 million cap hit.
The 6’2″ left-handed defenseman missed the start of the season while still recovering from an ACL tear he sustained last March; he cleared waivers last week upon being cleared for game action.
Late-night trade alert 🚨
The #Canes have acquired defenseman Juuso Välimäki from Utah in exchange for future considerations.
Details » https://t.co/STgTvIWpsn pic.twitter.com/RX2ZvQZyZJ
A first-round pick (No. 16 overall) of the Calgary Flames in the 2017 NHL Draft, Valimaki made his NHL debut with the Flames in the 2018-19 season. He struggled to stay healthy over parts of three seasons in Calgary, missing the entire 2019-20 campaign while recovering from another ACL tear.
The Flames placed Valimaki on waivers upon the conclusion of their 2022 training camp. The Arizona Coyotes elected to claim the Tampere, Finland product, who scored a career-high 34 points (four goals, 30 assists) in 78 games with the club in the 2022-23 season.
Valimaki remained with the Coyotes organization until it suspended operations in 2024, at which point he joined his teammates in Utah. He skated in 43 games with the Utah Hockey Club in the 2024-25 season before suffering his season-ending knee injury.
In 271 career NHL games over parts of six seasons with Calgary, Arizona, and Utah, Valimaki has collected 11 goals and 72 points. He added one assist in two playoff contests with the Flames back in 2019.
Valimaki will begin his tenure in the Hurricanes organization with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, but with Jaccob Slavin still considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, he could see NHL action again in short order.