On a damp November evening in Helsinki, Veikkaus Arena will glow under the floodlights as two NHL teams skate onto the ice. The announcement that Carolina and Seattle will play two regular-season games at Veikkaus Arena on Nov. 12 and Nov. 14 has a local cast: sebastian aho is among the Carolina players who will be on home soil for the first time in an NHL game.
Will Sebastian Aho finally play an NHL game in Finland?
Yes. Sebastian Aho, forward for the Carolina Hurricanes, will play his first NHL game in his home country when Carolina visits Veikkaus Arena. “It’s super-exciting to get to play in Finland, ” Aho said, adding that these matches matter for young fans: “I think it’s very important growing the game. Little kids all over the world get to see the highest level of hockey. ” The arena will reconnect Aho with a memory: he attended a Hurricanes game there in 2010 when it was called Hartwall Arena, years before he was drafted by Carolina.
What does the Global Series mean for Finland, fans and the teams?
The 2026 NHL Global Series Finland delivers a concentrated international spotlight. The NHL framed these games as a way to reward passionate European fans and to bring live NHL competition to international audiences through broadcasts and the League’s streaming service. For Finland, this is a familiar stage: of the previous regular-season games played outside North America, 11 have taken place in Finland and seven of those were in Helsinki. Beyond Aho, the Hurricanes roster includes another Finn, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and the Kraken roster features Finns including Kaapo Kakko, Eeli Tolvanen and Jani Nyman. Kaapo Kakko, forward for the Seattle Kraken, said he was looking forward to family and friends seeing NHL hockey in person: “It’s my first time being able to go and play there, so it will be nice to play in front of my family and friends. Hockey is big over there; they love hockey over there. ” The presence of multiple Finnish players on both rosters tightens the human link between the league and local supporters.
How are the teams and the league approaching the trip?
The NHL announced these Finland games as part of a broader slate that includes Germany, marking the 13th season and the fifth consecutive year the League has taken regular-season games to Europe. The Seattle Kraken will make a first trip to play a regular-season game in Europe, becoming the 27th NHL team to do so. Carolina returns to Helsinki for the first time since the 2010 Premiere Series, when the Hurricanes split games in the arena. Team preparation and scheduling will reflect the travel and promotional demands of international games, and the League expects to leverage international broadcasts and streaming to reach fans across time zones.
On the ice, Carolina brings veteran production: Aho is in his 10th season with the Hurricanes and has recorded notable totals this season. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is in his eighth NHL season and contributes as well. Seattle’s roster includes players with prior draft pedigrees and international experience, setting up matchups that highlight both clubs’ Finnish connections.
Back at Veikkaus Arena, the lights will shine on more than just a pair of games; they will spotlight personal arcs and a transatlantic fan relationship. For sebastian aho, the trip is a closure of a circle — from a young spectator in 2010 to a leading professional returning to play in front of a home crowd. Whether those young fans in Helsinki see a moment that shapes their own hockey dreams remains to be lived out over two November nights, but the stage is set for a distinctly human chapter in the Global Series.
