The Carolina Hurricanes announced Wednesday evening the re-signing of Chicago defenseman, Juuso Valimaki. His new contract will pay him $900,00 next season, whether he plays in the NHL or AHL.
Valimaki has plenty of NHL experience and is a previous first round draft pick by Calgary, (16th overall in 2017). He will probably be battling Charles Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom for the seventh spot on the Carolina blueline, (as things are now).
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The official press release is below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 24, 2026
‘CANES SIGN JUUSO VALIMAKI TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT
Defenseman has registered 72 points (11g, 61a) in 271 career NHL games
RALEIGH, NC – Eric Tulsky, General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed defenseman Juuso Valimaki to a one-year contract. The deal will pay Valimaki $900,000 for the 2026-27 season.
Valimaki, 27, was acquired by the Hurricanes on Jan. 5 in exchange for future considerations. The Tampere, Finland native split the 2025-26 season between Tucson and Chicago in the American Hockey League (AHL), totaling 23 points (7g, 16a) in 27 regular-season games, and adding 14 points (5g, 9a) in 21 playoff games to help the Chicago Wolves reach the Calder Cup Final. Originally selected by the Calgary Flames in the first round, 16th overall at the 2017 NHL Draft, Valimaki has appeared in 271 career NHL games with Calgary, Arizona and Utah, totaling 72 points (11g, 61a). He has registered 55 points (13g, 42a) in 83 career AHL games with Stockton, Tucson and Chicago. Prior to turning professional, Valimaki spent three seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with Tri-City, tallying 138 points (40g, 98a) and 92 penalty minutes in 159 games. He was named to the WHL West Second All-Star Team in 2017 and 2018.
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