With Juuso Valimaki in the lineup, the Stockton Heat will look to bounce back from their 5–1 loss to the Colorado Eagles on Nov. 27 when they take on the San Diego Gulls at Stockton Arena on Friday night.
The Calgary Flames assigned Valimaki to the Heat on Thursday. The 23-year-old defenceman had only appeared in one National Hockey League contest since Oct. 28, sitting out the majority of November as a healthy scratch behind Nikita Zadorov. As a recent first-round draft pick, Valimaki will undoubtedly receive ample playing time in Stockton.
The Heat went without two-thirds of their red-hot first line in the 5–1 setback in Colorado.