Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes to play two games in Finland in 2026-27. Who they’ll play, and when

Sebastian Aho, right, of the Carolina Hurricanes and Team Finland, chats with Oliver Kapanen during training at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 9, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Sebastian Aho, right, of the Carolina Hurricanes and Team Finland, chats with Oliver Kapanen during training at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 9, 2026 in Milan, Italy. Getty Images
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  • Canes will play Kraken in two regular-season games in Helsinki Nov. 12 and 14, 2026.
  • Velkkaus Arena will host the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland matchup between clubs.
  • Series continues NHL trend: fifth straight season and 13th overall with Europe games.

The Carolina Hurricanes are going on the road — to Finland.

The NHL announced Monday the Hurricanes would face the Seattle Kraken in a pair of regular-season games in Helsinki as part of the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland.

The games will be played Thursday, Nov. 12 and Saturday Nov. 14, 2026, at Velkkaus Arena.

The Canes last visited Finland in October 2010, facing the Minnesota Wild in two games as part of the Compuware NHL Premiere Games. The Canes won both games to begin the 2010-11 regular season.

Watching from the stands was Canes center Sebastian Aho, then 13. The Hurricanes in 2010 had Finns Tuomo Ruutu, Joni Pitkanen and Jussi Jokinen in the lineup.

The 2026 NHL Global Series games in Finland and Germany will mark the fifth straight season – and 13th overall — that the NHL has played regular-season games in Europe.

This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 11:44 AM.

Chip Alexander
The News & Observer
In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.
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