Valimaki’s inspiring journey

January 14, 2026

Welcome to Wolves Insider, presented by Are You Really Winning?: The weekly report that gives you an inside look at the latest Chicago Wolves news and happenings. Look for a new edition of Wolves Insider each week.

VETERAN SETTLING IN WITH WOLVES

It’s been a long, inspiring and often painful journey from his hometown of Nokia, Finland, to the Wolves for Juuso Valimaki.

Along the way, the veteran defenseman, who joined the Wolves last week after being acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes organization, has learned a lot about himself and what’s most important in his life.

After being drafted by the Calgary Flames in the first round (16^th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Valimaki worked his way to the NHL and played a combined 82 games over three seasons with the Flames. It was while training for the 2019-20 campaign when he suffered the first of three devastating injuries: A torn ACL in his right knee.

After a grueling rehab, Valimaki resumed his career and eventually landed with the Arizona Coyotes.

In his second season in the desert, Valimaki was hit in the face with a puck during a game and the injury required surgery and 55 stitches and caused him to miss several weeks.

Shortly after that season, the Coyotes morphed into the Utah Mammoth and midway through the ’24-25 campaign, Valimaki was sent to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. In his first game with the club, he suffered a second torn ACL in his knee and following another tireless rehab, returned in December only to be traded to the Hurricanes and eventually assigned to the Wolves.

During those long hours of rehab and recovery from the second knee injury, Valimaki said he never considered hanging up his skates.

“I don’t think I really questioned that,” he said. “I knew the knee was going to be healthy, I just didn’t know exactly how long it was going to take. And I think second time around I just wanted to make sure that it was good before coming back. And now there’s the point of not taking risks because I know I can’t do it a third time.”

Now older, wiser and father to a 17-month-old son with another baby coming in a couple of months, Valimaki is intent on resuming his career—albeit with a new perspective on the game and life.

“Early in your career you feel like your whole life and who you are is kind of who you are as a hockey player,” Valimaki, 27, said. “Over the years as I’ve gotten older and just kind of experiencing a lot more, learning more about yourself, I think I’m now at the point where there’s other things in life than just hockey.

“There’s a personality—I’m a human being,” he continued. “I’m a guy outside of hockey as well and when you’re hurt, you always want to be playing, but it shouldn’t take away of who you are and just kind of can be anxious and mad and all that all the time if you’re not playing. It gets really tough if you’re like that. Now having a family, the perspective changes in a good way. I think you just realize that there’s more important things than ice hockey.”

Valimaki has brought that newfound wisdom to the Wolves and appears ready to settle into a key role along the blue line.

In his second game with the Wolves on Sunday against the Manitoba Moose, Valimaki earned Third Star of the game after recording two assists during the Wolves’ 4-3 overtime victory at Allstate Arena.

“It was nice to get the couple first games going and feel good on the ice,” Valimaki said. “It’s a new system for me and there are a lot of things that are a little different, but I feel good with it. The guys are great and the staff and people are great.”

For now, Valimaki is intent on strengthening his game and isn’t champing at the bit to return to the NHL.

“Obviously, I want to be in the NHL, but more importantly, I want to be the best version of myself as a person and as a player,” he said. “I want to get better and I want to help this team win hockey games. The focus is mainly on that. At the same time, I want to enjoy it. You have to be able to enjoy the journey.”

FENSORE GOES ON THE OFFENSIVE

Domenick Fensore continues to make a major offensive impact from the back end for the Wolves.

The 24-year-old defenseman is now tied for fourth in the league in scoring among blue liners with 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 27 games. Fensore, who ranks fourth on the Wolves in points, also leads the team with six power-play assists.

“I’m just playing with a lot of confidence,” said Fensore, whose latest tally was the game-winner in overtime to lift the Wolves to a 4-3 win over the Manitoba Moose on Sunday at Allstate Arena. “It’s making sure you’re playing the defensive side of the puck first and jumping into the play when you have the right opportunity.

“One of my things heading into the season was to help the team out offensively from the back end,” he continued. “Hopefully, I can just keep it going.”

Fensore hasn’t hesitated with putting pucks on net. His 86 shot attempts are tied for second-most in the league by a defenseman, trailing only Zac Jones of Rochester (89).

“I’m just getting pucks to the net and hopefully it bounces in or bounces into the slot for a goal,” Fensore said. “Hopefully, more go in. I’m going to just keep shooting.”

 

 

IMPACT NETWORKING PLAY OF THE WEEK

During the second period of Sunday’s tilt against the Manitoba Moose at Allstate Arena, forward Justin Robidas scored his second goal of the game and team-leading 15th of the season with this quick snapshot off the rush.

C.D.E. COLLISION CENTERS’ COLLISIONS OF THE WEEK

Wolves forward Yanick Turcotte delivered this crunching check to the Moose’s Ashton Sautner during the second period of Sunday’s contest.

SAVE OF THE WEEK

Late in the second period of Friday night’s game in Rockford, goaltender Cayden Primeau came up clutch with a sliding right-pad save on the IceHogs’ Dominic Toninato.

Weekly rewind (2-1-0-0)

FRIDAY, JAN. 9

Wolves 3, IceHogs 1: Gleb Trikozov, Justin Robidas and Evan Vierling scored to help the Wolves snap a two-game losing skid in a showdown between Central Division rivals. Meanwhile, Rockford dropped its fifth contest in a row.

SATURDAY, JAN. 10

Stars 3, Wolves 1: Bradly Nadeau scored but that was all the offense the Wolves could muster as they fell in Chicago’s second contest in a set of three games in three days.

SATURDAY, JAN. 11

Wolves 4, Moose 3 (OT): Domenick Fensore’s overtime winner, Justin Robidas’ two goals and Juuso Valimaki’s first points in a Wolves sweater helped Chicago secure its 16th win of the season and 10th at home.

First Star of the Week

Where we stand

16-9-4-4, second in the Central Division.

For information on Wolves ticket plans for the 2025-26 season—everything from single-game tickets to Flex Packs to group outings—visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.