He was drafted 250th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He continued to play in the SM-liiga after the draft. He helped Finland win the bronze medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. A little while after the Olympics, the Kings traded Timonen along with Jan Vopat to the Nashville Predators (who did not begin playing yet) in agreement that the Predators would not draft Garry Galley in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft.