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Getting to know U-tah: Defenseman Juuso Välimäki
Through training camp, ALLCITY Network will publish profiles of players and staff on the Utah Hockey Club’s hockey operations side to help Utah fans get to know their new team before the first puck drop on Oct. 8 against the Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center.
Juuso Välimäki
Position: Defenseman
Height/weight: 6-2, 205
Shoots: Left
Age: 25
2023-24 stats: 68 games, 2 goals, 17 points
Career stats: 228 games, 9 goals, 67 points
Contract status: Signed through 2025-26 season (AAV $2 million)
Agent: Dave Cowan
Spouse: Vilma
Son: Nooa
(Getty Images)
Juuso Välimäki woke up at 5 a.m. on Friday because his newborn baby boy, Nooa Casper Välimäki, needed attention. An hour later, he opened Twitter and read the news of the death of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew.
The two events converged in his mind as he thought about his teammate of three years in Calgary. Gaudreau and his wife, Meredith, welcomed their daughter, Noa, in September 2022, and then Johnny Jr. in February.
“It’s just insane to think that their dad isn’t in the picture now, and how this affects the whole family,” Välimäki said. “Johnny was always super nice. He wasn’t the biggest talker, but if you were with him one-on-one, or in a small group, he talked a lot, and then you really got to see his personality.
“When he was playing, I benefited a lot from his skills and passing. He kind of gives me the same vibes as Kells [Utah forward Clayton Keller]. I just can’t even imagine what they’re going through as a family. It’s just so sad. It really makes you think about what’s important.”
(Getty Images)
Välimäki has been taking stock of his life a lot lately. He signed a two-year contract extension for $4 million on June 29. He and his wife, Vilma, welcomed Nooa on Aug. 4, and the family moved to Utah about a week ago, after buying their first home.
Two and a half years ago, Välimäki wasn’t sure what the future held for him. His confidence was at an all-time low while he sat in old-school coach Darryl Sutter’s doghouse. He never believed that he would get an opportunity to progress in Calgary, and he worried that the initial roadblock would derail his career.
When the Coyotes claimed the No. 16 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft off waivers in January 2022, GM Bill Armstrong and coach André Tourigny promised Välimäki a greater role if he committed to the team process. Both sides delivered. In 2022-23, he posted career highs in goals (4) and points (34), and last season, playing in a more defensive role, he posted a career high in ice time (19:06), leading to the extension and some stability in his life.
“He took another step,” Armstrong said. “He’s a better D.”
Välimäki doesn’t want to waste the opportunity he has been granted.
“Probably the best way to put it is that I kind of got my career back,” he said. “A couple of years ago, it was in my mind sometimes thinking, ‘Am I going to lose it?’
“It starts with Bill giving me the opportunity to play and prove myself, and then it goes down to Bear believing in me and coaching me. Even looking at last year, the start wasn’t my best and I wasn’t playing the way I wanted to, but I was able to turn a switch and Bear helped me do it. Without a doubt in my mind, I played the best hockey that I ever have in those few months. It gives me the confidence going into this year that I know what I’m capable of.”
Välimäki’s calling card when he arrived in the NHL was his puck-moving ability — his offensive game — but after taking two penalties in a preseason game against the LA Kings during the NHL Global Series in Melbourne, Australia, Välimäki approached skills coach Kyle Bochek and asked him to help shore up his defensive weaknesses.
“We focused just a little bit on my angle and my stick work in the corners,” he said. “I just changed how I go into guys and being more aware of my stick and being able to actually take the puck away and not just put it accidentally in the guy’s feet.
“I used to take quite a bit of penalties, and they would be tripping or hooking or grabbing a guy in the corner when I’m beat. I had six minor penalties last year in 68 games so I think that kind of tells the story that I wasn’t getting beat anymore. I was able to shut down some pretty good players and play big minutes, and we were able to win some games, too.”
Utah made some major moves in the offseason, adding Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino , Ian Cole and Robert Bortuzzo to shore up a blue line that Armstrong always said was going to be priority No.1 this summer.
Those additions may alter Välimäki’s role in a defensive corps that now features a legitimate top six with Sean Durzi and Michael Kesselring rounding out the group.
But fatherhood, maturity and the loss of his former teammate have Välimäki thinking in a different way — avoiding the worries that clouded his past. He is embracing a new city, new teammates, a new son and new opportunities.
“It’s only been about five or six days we’ve been in town and you can already sense that you everyone loves us here,” he said. “We met one of our neighbors the first day and she brought us lunch the next day and was trying to help us get the house in order and everything settled.
“In terms of people and excitement and kindness and support that we have felt, it’s just been unbelievable.”
(Getty Images)
Related Välimäki links
Juuso Välimäki’s role with Coyotes: Play with swagger
Välimäki’s big scare (second note in this notebook)
Validation for Juuso Välimäki (final note in this notebook)
Top photo of Juuso Välimäki celebrating a goal against the Penguins on Jan. 22 at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona
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