Carolina Hurricanes head to Helsinki for NHL Global Series Finland against Seattle Kraken

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes are turning their focus from their most recent win to an overseas regular-season spotlight in Finland, with the NHL Global Series Finland set to bring Carolina to Helsinki to face the Seattle Kraken at Veikkaus Arena later this week. After a 9-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at Lenovo Center on Saturday, Carolina will play the Kraken on Thursday at 12 p.m. ET and again on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, with broadcast details listed as NHLN, SN+, TVAS on Thursday and HHN, Prime Video, CARNHL, KONG, KING, NHLN, SN1 on Saturday.

The Global Series will also mark a rare chance for several Hurricanes players to perform in front of family and friends in their home country. The NHL’s preseason and regular-season travel schedules typically do not provide straightforward opportunities to return during the year, and Carolina’s Finnish core is expected to treat the trip as both a sporting and cultural experience. For center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the journey centers on time with loved ones and a return to Finnish restaurants and local life.

Kotkaniemi, who is from Pori, a coastal city in southwestern Finland, said he expects 20-30 family members and friends in attendance for games in Helsinki. The same theme of home-country support is central for fellow Finnish players, including center Sebastian Aho and defenseman Juuso Valimaki, each of whom will have nearby relatives and friends able to watch from the stands in Finland. For Aho, who grew up in Oulu—about a seven-hour drive north of Helsinki—the trip includes meeting family after the team arrives.

Aho said his wife, Rosa, left early for Finland with their 18-month-old daughter, Vivian, and that Aho will meet them after the Hurricanes arrive Monday. Aho also indicated that his family and friends have already been connected through group chats as anticipation builds for the games, adding that he does not yet know the complete headcount of supporters but expects the visit to include time with his circle outside the rink as well.

Defenseman Juuso Valimaki described the Global Series as a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity to return during the season, while still preparing for the team’s competitive objectives. Born in Tampere and raised in Nokia, roughly two hours north of Helsinki, Valimaki said he expects he will be able to see people from his area and may even go home briefly during the trip. Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers, from Aalborg, Denmark, also said he expects family and friends to travel to Helsinki, with down time intended to allow players and staff to enjoy each other’s company and see the city.

Beyond the homecoming elements, the games carry a straightforward regular-season focus on results. When asked what Carolina wants to take from the trip, Aho responded with a target of four points and leaving Helsinki with them. Carolina enters the week with a record of 14-3-2, according to the league context provided with the announcement, and the matchup structure means both teams will seek to turn the overseas setting into meaningful standings value.

The Global Series includes a matchup of hometown talent as well as league-wide attention, with Seattle’s side featuring Kraken players that will meet Aho’s Hurricanes in Helsinki. The NHL also framed the weekend as part of a broader experience that differs from other regular-season games, emphasizing that players not from the host country also get an extended look at the host city alongside their regular obligations.

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour emphasized the significance of the event for Aho specifically, saying the trip gives a chance for Aho to showcase his importance to the team while providing a form of “payback” to supporters back home. Stating that he is looking forward to the reaction Aho may receive, Brind’Amour also tied the moment to Carolina’s identity after last season’s Stanley Cup-winning run, with the Global Series serving as a memory-making extension of that group’s shared journey.

Carolina captain Jordan Staal is expected to accompany the team to Helsinki while recovering from a torn calf muscle. The announcement indicates that Staal might play for the first time since he was injured during warmups on Oct. 11, adding a potential lineup variable to the weekend’s games. At the same time, the league’s note underscored that the trip is about more than a single return storyline, positioning it as another opportunity for the team that won the Stanley Cup to build shared memories.

Several non-Finnish players also addressed the event as a chance to experience the atmosphere and support the players with home ties. Forward Seth Jarvis—who is from Winnipeg, Manitoba—said he has visited Finland twice previously, including the past summer, and is regarded as an “honorary Finn” within the Hurricanes group. Jarvis, however, cautioned teammates not to look to him as a guide during the trip, framing his role as a bystander rather than a source of detailed local knowledge, while still expressing excitement for the games and the chance for Finnish players to have family and supporters present.

In a final element of the announcement, the league noted the Global Series will combine a competitive schedule with planned off-ice activities for the Hurricanes during the week. Aho said he has taken a leading role in planning off-ice time, including a sauna trip, and he referenced Kotkaniemi as the focus of playful talk about who has been helping with preparations, with Kotkaniemi responding that he owns the plan while crediting Aho for doing a good job. The NHL Global Series Finland games against the Seattle Kraken are scheduled for Thursday and Saturday at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki, with television and streaming options listed by the league.

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