Seattle Kraken to face Carolina Hurricanes in NHL Global Series in Finland
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 15: Eeli Tolvanen #20 of the Seattle Kraken celebrates his goal against the Boston Bruins during the second period with teammate Kaapo Kakko #84 at the TD Garden on January 15, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Rich Gagnon / Getty Images)
The Seattle Kraken will play outside of North America for the first time in franchise history as they will play two games against the Carolina Hurricanes in Helsinki, Finland for the 2026 NHL Global Series.
What we know:
It's the 13th time and fifth consecutive year that the NHL has played regular-season games in Europe, but the first trip for Seattle. It will be the second trip for the Hurricanes, both to Finland.
The games will be played on Nov. 12 and 14 at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki, Finland with local start times of 7 p.m. and 8 p.m, which will be at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. in the Pacific Time Zone. Broadcast and streaming details, as well as fan events in Finland will be announced at a later date.
The Kraken have three Finnish players currently on their roster, and have had a total of six Finns play games for them over their first five seasons. Kaapo Kakko, Eeli Tolvanen and Jani Nyman are currently with the team, while defenseman Ville Ottavainen and goaltender Nikke Kokko are with AHL Coachella Valley.
Joonas Donskoi also appeared in 75 games for Seattle in their inaugural season.
In addition to Nyman, Ottavainen and Kokko, the Kraken also have 2024 second-round pick Julius Miettenen (WHL-Everett), 2024 third-round goaltender Kim Sarinen (Liiga-Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho), and 2023 sixth-round goaltender Visa Vedenpää (Liiga-Kärpät).
Kakko and Tolvanen earned a Bronze Medal playing for Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Kakko and Nyman are under
The Kraken will become the 27th NHL team to play a regular season game outside of North America, through the NHL Premier Series and NHL Global Series. Four more teams – the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals – have played internationally through previous exhibition events. The Vegas Golden Knights will be the only remaining team out of the current 32 franchises not to play outside of North America.
"We are kindred spirit with the Finnish people, including many attributing the Kraken’s origin to the Norwegian Sea," Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke said of the body of water Finland once had access to through the Barents Sea until borders were redrawn after World War II. "We look forward to being there joined by scores of Kraken fans in a first for our franchise."
Fans interested in attending are encouraged to register on the team's website to learn more and receive priority access to tickets, hotels, flights and more, as soon as they become available.
The Source: Information in this story came from the NHL, Seattle Kraken, and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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