Juuso Valimaki is headed back from Finland

Folks, NHL hockey may be just around the corner. And since that’s the case, the Calgary Flames have summoned defender Juuso Valimaki from his loan with Ilves in Finland’s SM-Liiga.

The Flames’ first round selection back in 2017, Valimaki has been equal parts exciting and injured since being selected. He’s dealt with a string of fairly significant injuries, including a high ankle sprain and an ACL tear since going pro in 2018 – the latter injury wiped out his entire 2019-20 season.

But Valimaki played a regular shift for Ilves over the past couple months and basically dominated the league, putting up 19 points in 19 games before COVID-19 considerations put games on the back-burner until after Christmas.

Simply put: the 22-year-old Finnish blueliner can flat-out play, and play on both the left and right sides of the blueline. He’s young, he’s versatile, he’s finally healthy, and he’s easily the Flames’ most exciting prospect. He’s headed to camp to grab hold of a full-time NHL gig and potentially make some noise in the upcoming season. (He’s still eligible for the Calder Trophy due to not yet hitting the games-played limit.)

According to reports, training camps are expected to begin around Jan. 3. Valimaki will have ample time to travel back to Calgary and meet Canada’s quarantine requirements in the interim.