Career
Pakarinen previously played in the Finnish Liiga with KalPa and HIFK.
Pakarinen played in his native Finland from his youth level with professional Liiga club, KalPa. As a skilled versatile forward, Pakarinen was drafted 184th overall in the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers. Unable to agree to terms with the Panthers, Pakarinen opted to continue his development in the Finnish Liiga with KalPa.
On 3 May 2012, he joined HIFK as a free agent on a two-year contract.
Upon completion of his second season with HIFK in 2013-2014 and scoring a career high 20 goals and 30 points, Pakarinen signed his first National Hockey League contract as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers on a two-year entry level deal on 16 June 2014.