The Utah Hockey Club is fighting and scratching for every single point available to them in the standings, as they’re on the cusp of a postseason position.
But they’ve been hit with some harsh injury news, as defenseman Juuso Valimaki will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 NHL regular season and the start of next season after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL, with his recovery time expected to be between eight and nine months.
Valimaki had skated in 43 games prior to his injury, scoring two goals with three assists and averaging 16:43 of ice time.
The Utah Hockey Club has already lost goaltender Connor Ingram for an undetermined period of time as he entered the NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
Utah Hockey Club are in their first season in Salt Lake City
The Utah Hockey Club is playing in its first season in Salt Lake City after relocation from the desert and its former identity as the Arizona Coyotes.
The decision by the NHL to move the Coyotes to Salt Lake City was a difficult one, as the league – and commissioner Gary Bettman in particular – had fought for years to keep the franchise in Arizona. Despite multiple ownership changes, financial struggles, and attempts to secure a stable arena solution, the Coyotes’ situation became too impractical to continue.
For the last two seasons prior to the current one, the Coyotes played at Mullett Arena, the college rink of the Arizona State Sun Devils that didn’t even sit 5,000 spectators.
Valimaki was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2017, and while he began his NHL career playing in a Flames uniform, he was eventually placed on waivers and claimed by the Coyotes. He enjoyed a career-best 34 points in the 2022-23 NHL season, scoring four goals while adding 30 assists while playing in 78 games.
His stats dropped the following season, as he scored just twice while adding 15 assists for 17 points.
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