Former Washington Capitals forward Miika Elomo has passed away suddenly at the age of 47. The French team Jokers de Cergy-Pontoise, which Elomo coached since last season, announced the news.
The Capitals selected Elomo, a native of Turku, Finland, in the first round of the 1995 NHL Draft. Elomo played just two NHL games with Washington, recording one assist, but spent parts of three seasons with the club’s AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates. He is the only Finnish player the Caps have ever selected in the first round of a draft.
“It is with great sadness and shock that we have just learned today of the passing of our head coach Miika Elomo,” Jokers de Cergy-Pontoise wrote on Instagram per a Meta translation. “All our thoughts go out to his wife, Maria, his family and loved ones.”
After spending three seasons in North America with the Capitals organization, Elomo was traded to the Calgary Flames in 2000 along with a fourth-round draft pick for a second-round pick. The Capitals then used that second-round pick to take eventual long-time forward Matt Pettinger.
Elomo won the 2001 Calder Cup with Calgary’s AHL affiliate, the Saint John Flames, before returning to Finland for the final four years of his pro career. He retired after the 2004-05 season due to a wrist injury.
In 2012, Elomo entered the coaching world, first as an assistant in the under-20 Finnish junior league before getting hired midseason by TPS as an assistant coach in the SM-liiga. He got his first head coaching job in 2014, leading TPS’ under-20 team and later their senior team on an interim basis.
Elomo was then hired by TUTO Hockey of Mestis, the Finnish second-tier league, where he spent four seasons. In 2019, he left Finland to coach Storhamar, a Norwegian team, before returning to his homeland as an assistant with the Finnish under-20 national team for two years.
After his duties with the national team ended, he took a head coaching job with the Polish team STS Sanok for one season before moving to France in 2023 to coach the Jokers de Cergy-Pontoise.
The NHL Alumni Association is heartbroken to learn that Miika Elomo has passed away at the age of 47.
Miika was selected 23rd overall by the Washington @Capitals in the 1995 @NHL Entry Draft after an impressive junior hockey career with the TPS program in his hometown of Turku,… pic.twitter.com/WeqTVDfNrT
— NHL Alumni (@NHLAlumni) February 11, 2025
RMNB sends our condolences to the Elomo family and friends. May Miika rest in peace.
