Aleksi Heimosalmi

April 2026 – Heimosalmi has done useful stabilization work on his North American file in his second Chicago season. Carolina reassigned him to the Wolves at the end of camp, and he opened the year on Chicago’s roster. Through April 2, he had four goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 43 AHL games, already topping last season’s 14 points in 56. Chicago’s own coverage also points to a more assertive, involved defender, from a goal-and-assist night against Milwaukee on Dec. 5 to an insurance goal on Feb. 19, with the club separately highlighting his physical play during the season. The skating still gives him a chance, but the offense still reads as secondary support rather than true driver value, so the projection remains a depth, puck-moving defenseman who has to win coaches over with cleaner defensive detail under pressure. Carolina’s contract tracker lists him as an RFA, so this next stretch is about proving he belongs on a real NHL recall track instead of drifting back toward organizational filler. Andrew Epps

March 2026 – Heimosalmi’s second AHL season has shown meaningful improvement in at least one key area – a plus-6 this year compared to a team-worst minus-29 last season is a significant turnaround and suggests the defensive deficiencies that defined his first year in Chicago have been addressed to some degree. Four goals and 12 points in 42 games is modest but represents a step forward. The underlying concerns haven’t disappeared entirely – undersized at 5-11 and not producing enough offensively to carry a roster spot on those merits alone – but the plus-minus improvement is a genuine data point worth acknowledging. Trending toward organizational depth without a clear NHL path. Ryan Downey

July 2025 – The 5-11 defenseman played 56 games in the AHL in 2024-25, registered 14 points and a whopping -29, which was a team worst. As a whole the Chicago Wolves did not defend well as a majority of their team had a negative plus minus differential. Considering Heimosalmi is under sized, defensively porous, and doesn’t produce much offensively, he may never reach the NHL level if his defending doesn’t improve. This suggests a low likelihood for fantasy relevance for him, and he is likely headed back to Europe in the not so distant future. Ioan Gheordanescu 

January 2024 – After spending time with the Carolina Hurricanes during the prospect camp as well as a stint in the NHL training camp, Heimosalmi was loaned out to Assat in the Finnish Liiga. In 28 games, Heimosalmi has a goal and 8 assists for 9 points. His skating continues to be his biggest asset and his ability to move the puck on the power play is also impressive. His contract with Assat runs through the 2025/2026, so Heimosalmi is still a few years away from potentially making a NHL debut. Nick Bass

June 2023 – Heimosalmi had an up-and-down season for Assat in the Liiga. Putting up 15 points in 45 games, as well as halving his penalty minutes, is technically an improvement from 2021-22 in which he only had 3 points and 24 penalty minutes. His play in the World Juniors was somewhat encouraging, especially in the minutes he played, lining up as the top-pairing defenseman most of the time and playing on both the power play and the penalty kill. Heimosalmi is still a few years away from seeing valuable NHL time, and his current projection is around a bottom-pairing defenseman with some power play and penalty kill potential. Nick Bass

March 2022 – It has been quite the dry year for Heimosalmi with Assat in the Liiga this year, but take that with a grain of salt given he is just 18, and this is his first year in the Men’s league. He played in the U20 last year. He has zero goals and three assists in 47 games, but the team leader, 33 year old Sakari Salminen, has managed seven goals and 26 assists for 33 points in 55 games. He does not appear to be worth burning a roster spot on just yet unless your league is exceptionally deep. Alex Wyatt

July 2021 – Heimosalmi was selected in the second round, 44th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2021 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

April 2021 – Heimosalmi has been one of the risers of the draft this year. The undersized defender played for Ässät U20 this season and his development over the course of the season has been a welcome sight. Early in the year, the young Finn was displaying his excellent mobility. His ability to stop and start, change direction and skate in any direction is what really powers his game. With the ability to synchronize his hands and feet in transition is impressive, showing the ability to weave through traffic in the neutral zone, Heimosalmi shows excellent puck-moving ability. His first pass out of his own zone is crisp and on-target, hitting a teammate in stride. He goes for the big stretch pass at times and that has caused a few turnovers here and there but he rarely makes the same mistake twice and understands his own game quite well. He plays a good defensive game but he will need to add strength to his fame and get a bit bigger because there are times when he can be pushed around a little bit but his effort level in battles is generally quite good. He establishes body position, uses his stick to poke pucks free, and then jumps on the loose puck to begin the move up ice. He plays quick and with pace in all three zones, projecting as a modern-day transitional blueliner who can play in all three zones. His offensive prowess is what has developed the most this season. As he became more comfortable, he began jumping into the offense a bit more. His reads at the blueline that allowed him to jump into space in the second half of the season are impressive and he rarely mistimed his reads. His puck skill was impressive as he works his way into the slot, presenting himself as a shooting threat while remaining a playmaker at heart. If he can continue to improve his offensive aggression and diagnosis, his offensive game could pop even more than it has thus far. Heimosalmi is going to be an interesting development project who could play in all situations if developed properly. The tools are all very interesting and he should project as a two-way blueliner with excellent mobility and interesting skill. Set to play at the World Under-18s, Heimosalmi may pop onto the scene for casual fans sooner rather than later. Pat Quinn