Topias Vilén (born 1 April 2003) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 129th overall in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the Devils.
| Topias Vilén | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
1 April 2003 Lahti, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
New Jersey Devils Utica Comets (AHL) Lahti Pelicans | ||
| NHL draft |
129th overall, 2021 New Jersey Devils | ||
| Playing career | 2020–present | ||
Playing career
editVilén first played hockey around the age of four in his hometown of Lahti, and played his youth and junior career with the Lahti Pelicans.[1] He plays defense because his older brother Elias made him do so in floor hockey matches.[2] Vilén made his professional debut with the Pelicans' SM-liiga club on 18 February 2020, at 16 years old. He recorded 15 minutes of ice time in the 3–0 loss to JYP Jyväskylä, a match he found out he'd be playing just one day prior.[3] In April 2020, he signed a two-year contract extension with the Pelicans.[4]
In the 2020–21 season, 17-year-old Vilén played 35 games in the SM-Liiga and six in the second-tier Mestis.[5] His first goal in the league came on 30 October 2020.[6] Following the conclusion of the season, he was drafted in the fifth round (129th overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils. On 23 July 2021, he extended his contract with the Pelicans through 2023.[5]
Remaining in Finland for the 2021–22 season, his second full season of top-level men's pro hockey, Vilén played 50 games and averaged nearly 15 minutes of ice time, recording just six points and no goals.[7]
On 12 May 2022, Vilén was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with New Jersey, but was loaned back to the Pelicans for the 2022–23 season.[8] Following the signing, Vilén stated that he was surprised and excited to be offered a contract so soon.[9] Following a run to the Liiga finals with Lahti, Vilén joined the Devils' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets, making his AHL debut on 3 May 2023, in a playoff game against the Toronto Marlies.[2][10]
Following Devils training camp, Vilén was assigned to Utica for the 2023–24 season.[11] He recorded his first AHL point with two assists against the Syracuse Crunch on 27 October 2023.[12] On 24 November 2023, after missing three weeks with an injury, Vilén was assigned to the Adirondack Thunder, the ECHL affiliate of the Devils and Comets.[13][14] In his first weekend of ECHL play, he had an assist in each of two games against the Worcester Railers.[15][16] Shuffled up and down between the AHL and ECHL over the next few months, Vilén scored his first ECHL goal on 3 January 2024,[17] and his first AHL goal on 15 January, in a 5–4 overtime loss to the Syracuse Crunch.[18] Comets head coach Kevin Dineen praised Vilén's passing and skating in his first full year of North American play, and cited puck retrievals and applying pressure to puck carriers as areas where he initially struggled in adapting to the AHL. By the end of the year, according to Dineen, Vilén had become a "minutes-cruncher;" an integral part of the Comets' defense group.[19]
In the second period of a 30 September 2024 preseason game between the Devils and the New York Rangers, Vilén suffered an upper-body injury.[20] He was activated from injured reserve and assigned to Utica on 29 October.[21]
International play
editVilén represented Finland at various junior-level events beginning at the under-16 level, and was an alternate captain for the Finns multiple times, including at the 2021 World U18 Championship and the 2023 World Junior Championship.[22][23]
Personal life
editVilén is the younger brother of Elias Vilén. They played together in the Lahti Pelicans system, most notably in the top-level SM-liiga.[24]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2019–20 | Lahti Pelicans | U20 SM-sarja | 40 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Lahti Pelicans | SM-liiga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Peliitat | Mestis | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Lahti Pelicans | SM-liiga | 35 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Peliitat | Mestis | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Lahti Pelicans | SM-liiga | 50 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Lahti Pelicans | U20 SM-sarja | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Lahti Pelicans | SM-liiga | 41 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 31 | ||
| 2022–23 | Utica Comets | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Utica Comets | AHL | 54 | 2 | 27 | 29 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Adirondack Thunder | ECHL | 6 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Liiga totals | 127 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 24 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 33 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Finland | U17 | 7th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Finland | U18 | 4th | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2023 | Finland | WJC | 5th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 16 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||||
References
edit- ^ Hakala, Ville (21 November 2018). "Hollolan jäähallista isommille areenoille". seutuneloset.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ a b Kasan, Sam (12 July 2023). "Vilen, Steal of the Draft? | FEATURE". New Jersey Devils. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ Kantoluoto, Veeti (18 February 2020). "Topias Vilén sai tiedon liigadebyytistään edellisenä iltana: "Kieltämättä se tuli vähän yllätyksenä"". jatkoaitka.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Pelicansille neljä uutta pelaajasopimusta ja tukku jatkosopimuksia" (in Finnish). Lahti Pelicans. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Devils pick Topias Vilen at 129th overall in the fifth round". allaboutthejersey.com. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ @PelicansFi (30 October 2020). "Vasta 17-vuotias Pelicans-pakki Topias Vilén laukoi tänään ensimmäisen Liiga-maalinsa! ☝️🙌 Isot onnittelut, Toppari! 🤝 #PelicansFi #Liiga" [Only 17-year-old Pelicans forward Topias Vilén scored his first League goal today! ☝️🙌 Big congratulations, Toppari! 🤝 #PelicansFi #Liiga] (Tweet) (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 January 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Fischer, John (19 August 2022). "The 2022 AATJ Top 25 Devils Under 25: The Outsiders from #49 to #26". All About the Jersey. SBNation. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Topias Vilen signs three-year, entry-level contract". New Jersey Devils. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Pelicans-puolustaja Topias Vilenille NHL-sopimus" (in Finnish). Lahti Pelicans. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ Tracy, James J. (9 May 2023). "New Jersey Devils Prospects AHL Update: Comets Downed by Marlies". All About The Jersey. SBNation. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ Stein, Amanda (29 September 2023). "Devils Make Next Round of Cuts". New Jersey Devils. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Lehmola, Jussi (28 October 2023). "Brad Lambert ottanut ratkaisijan viittaa harteilleen" (in Finnish). National Hockey League. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Jake (27 November 2023). "Five takeaways from this weekend's Adirondack Thunder games". The Post-Star. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ "ECHL Transactions - Nov. 26". ECHL. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "ORGEL SCORES AGAIN IN 4-3 OT LOSS TO RAILERS". Adirondack Thunder. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ "Worcester Railers @ Adirondack Thunder". Worcester Railers. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ Klisivitch, Armand (4 January 2024). "ECHL Game Recap: Adirondack Thunder vs Trois-Rivieres Lions| 01/03/2024". Inside the Rink. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Comets lose to Crunch in overtime 5-4". Utica Comets. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ Kasan, Sam (28 March 2024). "Vilen Adjusting to North American Game". nhl.com. New Jersey Devils. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Flannery, Kristy (1 October 2024). "Devils Lose Another Defenseman to Injury". The Hockey News. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Birnell, Ben (29 October 2024). "Utica Comets' Justin Dowling gets NHL call-up; Topias Vilén officially assigned from New Jersey". Rome Sentinel. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (27 April 2021). "Finns rally past Russia in shootout". iihf.com. International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Gallina, Mason (13 December 2022). "Devils Prospect Report: 2023 World Junior Championship & More". thehockeywriters.com. The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Sammalisto, Aleksi (14 March 2023). "Kärpäsen pihapeleistä Pelicansin Liiga-miehistöön – Veljeys on Viléneille voimavara joukkueen arjessa". op-media.fi. OP Media. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database