Some bad news has come down for one Western Conference team. Utah Hockey Club general manager Bill Armstrong announced Monday that defenceman Juuso Valimaki underwent successful surgery to repair a torn ACL. He is expected to miss eight to nine months. He produced five points, 40 shots on goal and 49 blocked shots in 43 games for Utah this season. Valimaki also averaged 16:33 of ice time.
INJURY UPDATE pic.twitter.com/3afFyEzSEL
— Utah Mammoth PR (@UtahMammoth_PR) March 10, 2025
Juuso Valimaki’s Season Over Due to Injury
Valimaki cleared waivers in late February and was sent down to Utah’s American Hockey League affiliate, Tucson Roadrunners. He played one game for the Roadrunners before getting injured. The 26-year-old will be out for the remainder of this year and training camp for next season.
Valimaki could miss the beginning of the 2025-2026 campaign as well. The Tampere, Finland native has another year left on his contract that carries a cap hit of $2 million, per PuckPedia.
The 6’2” left-handed defenceman was a first-round draft pick (16th overall) by the Calgary Flames in 2017. Valimaki was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Coyotes from the Flames in 2022. Utah re-signed him in June after the team moved to Salt Lake City. He last played for Utah on Jan. 26.
Valimaki’s best season of his career came in 2022-2023 with the Coyotes, where he had four goals and 30 assists for 34 points in 78 games.
What The Juuso Valimaki Injury Means
Valimaki’s injury impacts Utah’s organizational depth on defence, which has suffered numerous injuries all season. However, he fell out of favor once Sean Durzi and John Marino returned from their respective injuries. Utah is still right in the middle of a Stanley Cup Playoff push.
Despite being 28-25-10, the team is four points back of the Flames for the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference. Utah looks to gain some ground in the race as they return to the ice Monday for a matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Main photo by: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
