#4
#4 Juuso Välimäki
- Position Defenseman
- Height 6’2”
- Weight 201
- Shoots Left
- Born October 6, 1998 (27)
- Birthplace Tampere, Finland
- Acquired Transferred from Arizona, June 13, 2024
- Drafted 2017, Calgary’s 1st choice (1st round, 16th overall)
CAREER STATISTICS
Career Highs
Highs
- Most Goals, Game 1 – 11 times (last: 12/10/24 vs. MIN)
- Most Assists, Game 4 – 2/11/23 at STL
- Most Points, Game 4 – 2/11/23 at STL
- Most PIM, Game 15 – 1/24/23 vs. ANA
- Most Shots, Game 5 – 2 times (last: 2/6/23 vs. MIN)
- Longest Goal Streak 2 games – 12/8/24-12/10/24
- Longest Assist Streak 3 games – 2/6/23-2/11/23
- Longest Point Streak 3 games – 2/6/23-2/11/23
- Hat Tricks None
- Multi-Point Games 7 (last: 10/19/23 at STL)
First
- First NHL Game 10/3/18 at VAN (5-2 L)
- First NHL Goal 10/17/18 vs. BOS (Rask)
- First NHL Assist 11/1/18 vs. COL (Neal)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2024-25
- Earned five points (2g, 3a) in 43 NHL games and was one of four Utah blueliners to score multiple go-ahead goals
- Scored his first Utah goal at PHI (12/8) and added a third-period tally vs. MIN (12/10), lighting the lamp in back-to-back contests for the first time in his NHL career
- Selected to Team Finland for the NHL’s first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off in February
- Reassigned to Tucson (AHL) and suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his Roadrunners debut vs. Rockford (2/28)
2023-24
- Earned 17 points (2g, 15a) and a team-leading +12 rating in 68 games with the Coyotes
- Ranked third on the team in blocked shots (90)
- Registered his lone multi-point outing (2a) at STL (10/19)
2022-23
- Set career highs in games played (78), goals (4), assists (30) and points (34) with Arizona after being claimed on waivers
- Led Coyotes defensemen in assists and points
- Recorded a career-high four assists at STL (2/11), tied for the second-most assists in a single game by any Coyotes/Jets defenseman
- Tallied three points (1g, 2a) and scored the game-winning goal with 3:12 left in regulation vs. CHI (3/18)
2021-22
- Recorded 18 points (2g, 16a) in 35 AHL games with Stockton, finishing tied for third in assists among team defensemen
- Made 10 Calder Cup Playoff appearances for the Heat, tallying two assists
2020-21
- Began the season in Finland, earning 19 points (2g, 17a) in 19 Liiga contests with Ilves
- Earned his first two career Liiga points (2a) vs. Jukurit (10/9), opening a six-game point streak from 10/9-10/23 (2g, 8a)
- Joined Calgary for the shortened NHL season, tallying 11 points (2g, 9a) in 49 games
- Ranked fourth in blocked shots (60) among Flames skaters
2019-20
- Missed the entire season after suffering a torn ACL in the offseason
2018-19
- Skated in 24 NHL games with Calgary as a rookie, earning three points (1g, 2a)
- Made his NHL debut vs. VAN (10/3) and scored his first career goal, the eventual game winner, vs. BOS (10/17)
- Tallied an assist in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round at COL (4/17)
2017-18
- Registered 45 points (14g, 31a) in 43 games with Tri-City during his final WHL campaign
- Named to the WHL’s Western Conference Second All-Star Team for the second straight season
- Finished tied for sixth in goals among all WHL blueliners and was one of 10 defensemen to light the lamp at all three strengths
- Recorded 17 points (4g, 13a) in 12 WHL playoff games as Tri-City fell to Everett in the Western Conference Final
2016-17
- Set WHL highs in goals (19), assists (42), points (61) and power-play points (27) with the Americans
- Named to the WHL’s Western Conference Second All-Star Team
- Ranked fourth in goals, seventh in points and eighth in power-play assists (22) among WHL defensemen
2015-16
- Played his first North American season, registering 32 points (7g, 25a) in 56 WHL games with Tri-City
- Finished fourth in assists and points among all WHL first-year blueliners
- Opened his WHL career with a three game-assist streak from 9/26-10/4 (1g, 4a) and tallied two assists in his debut at Spokane (9/26)
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
- Represented Finland at two Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournaments (2014-15)
- Played at two IIHF Under-18 World Championships, winning a silver medal in 2015 and captaining Finland to gold in 2016
- Represented Finland at two IIHF World Junior Championships (2017-18), earning four points (1g, 3a) in five games as captain in 2018
- Selected to Finland’s roster for the NHL’s 4 Nations tournament in 2025
TRANSACTIONS
- Jun 23, 2017 – Selected by Calgary in the first round (16th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft
- Jul 21, 2017 – Signed with Calgary to a three-year, entry-level contract
- Aug 20, 2021 – Re-signed with Calgary to a two-year contract
- Oct 9, 2022 – Claimed off waivers by Arizona from Calgary
- Jan 24, 2023 – Signed with Arizona to a one-year contract extension
- Jun 13, 2024 – Transferred to Utah from Arizona
- Jun 29, 2024 – Re-signed with Utah to a two-year contract
PERSONAL
Juuso’s nicknames are “Juice” and “Vali”… He says his favorite hockey memory is winning gold at the 2016 World Juniors with Finland… Teemu Selӓnne and Teppo Numminen were his hockey idols growing up.
CAREER vs. NHL
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 |
| Boston Bruins | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Calgary Flames | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Dallas Stars | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 20 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Florida Panthers | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Minnesota Wild | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| New Jersey Devils | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Nashville Predators | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| New York Islanders | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Rangers | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Ottawa Senators | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Seattle Kraken | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| San Jose Sharks | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| St. Louis Blues | 9 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 17 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Washington Capitals | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Totals | 271 | 11 | 61 | 72 | 133 |
