Juuso Välimäki Assigned to Tucson After Clearing Waivers

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Tucson, AZ – The Utah Hockey Club announced Monday that defenseman Juuso Välimäki has cleared waivers and been assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners, the organization’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.

Utah Hockey Club defenseman Juuso Välimäki handles the puck against the St. Louis Blues at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Jan. 18, 2025. (Photo: Hunter Dyke/Utah Hockey Club)

Välimäki, 26, has two goals and three assists in 43 games with the Utah Hockey Club this season, along with a minus-5 rating, 14 penalty minutes, and an average ice time of 16:33.

The Tampere, Finland native is in his third season with the Arizona/Utah organization after being claimed off waivers by the Coyotes from the Calgary Flames on Oct. 9, 2022. He enjoyed a career-best campaign that season, setting personal highs in scoring, games played, and penalty minutes with four goals, 30 assists, 59 penalty minutes, and 12 power-play points in 78 games. Last season, he registered two goals, 15 assists, a plus-12 rating, and 12 penalty minutes in 68 games.

The 6-foot-2, 201-pound defenseman was originally selected by Calgary in the first round (16th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft and spent his first three NHL seasons with the Flames. Välimäki made his NHL debut on Oct. 3, 2018, against the Vancouver Canucks and recorded his first NHL goal in a 5-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Oct. 17.

On the international stage, he captained Finland at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship and was selected to Team Finland’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off this month.

Välimäki has appeared in two career Stanley Cup Playoff games, recording one point during Calgary’s first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche in 2019.

Across six NHL seasons with Calgary, Arizona, and Utah, Välimäki has tallied 11 goals, 61 assists, and 72 points with 133 penalty minutes in 271 games. The left-shot defenseman has spent limited time in the AHL, playing two partial seasons (2018-19 and 2021-22) with the Stockton Heat while in Calgary’s organization. In 55 career AHL games, he has totaled six goals, 26 assists, a plus-10 rating, and 44 penalty minutes.

The Roadrunners continue their homestand on Friday and open a two-game series against the Central Division’s Rockford IceHogs at 7 p.m. MST at Tucson Arena. Fans can catch all the action live on AHLTV on FloHockey and purchase tickets using the link here.