Topias Vilén

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Topias Vilén
Born (2003-04-01) 1 April 2003 (age 21)
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

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.

Playing career[edit]

Vilén 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, Vilén had become a "minutes-cruncher"; an integral part of the Comets' defense group.[19]

International play[edit]

Vilén represented Finland at various junior-level events beginning at the under-16 level, and has been an alternate captain for the Finns multiple times, including at the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships and the 2023 World Junior Championships.[20][21]

Personal life[edit]

Vilén is the younger brother of Elias Vilén [fi]. They played together in the Lahti Pelicans system, most notably in the top-level SM-liiga.[22]

Career statistics[edit]

Regular 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]

  1. ^ Hakala, Ville (21 November 2018). "Hollolan jäähallista isommille areenoille". seutuneloset.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b Kasan, Sam (12 July 2023). "Vilen, Steal of the Draft? | FEATURE". NHL.com. New Jersey Devils. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Pelicansille neljä uutta pelaajasopimusta ja tukku jatkosopimuksia". pelicans.fi (in Finnish). Lahti Pelicans. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Devils pick Topias Vilen at 129th overall in the fifth round". allaboutthejersey.com. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  6. ^ @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.
  7. ^ Fischer, John (19 August 2022). "The 2022 AATJ Top 25 Devils Under 25: The Outsiders from #49 to #26". allaboutthejersey.com. All About the Jersey. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Topias Vilen signs three-year, entry-level contract". New Jersey Devils. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Pelicans-puolustaja Topias Vilenille NHL-sopimus". pelicans.fi (in Finnish). Lahti Pelicans. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  10. ^ Tracy, James J. (9 May 2023). "New Jersey Devils Prospects AHL Update: Comets Downed by Marlies". All About The Jersey. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  11. ^ Stein, Amanda (29 September 2023). "Devils Make Next Round of Cuts". NHL.com. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  12. ^ Lehmola, Jussi (28 October 2023). "Brad Lambert ottanut ratkaisijan viittaa harteilleen". NHL.com (in Finnish). National Hockey League. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  13. ^ Johnson, Jake (27 November 2023). "Five takeaways from this weekend's Adirondack Thunder games". poststar.com. Post Star. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Official Site of The ECHL | ECHL Transactions - Nov. 26". ECHL. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Adirondack Thunder | ORGEL SCORES AGAIN IN 4-3 OT LOSS TO RAILERS". Adirondack Thunder. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Worcester Railers @ Adirondack Thunder". Worcester Railers. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  17. ^ Klisivitch, Armand (4 January 2024). "ECHL Game Recap: Adirondack Thunder vs Trois-Rivieres Lions| 01/03/2024". insidetherink.com. Inside the Rink. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Comets lose to Crunch in overtime 5-4". uticacomets.com. Utica Comets. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  19. ^ Kasan, Sam (28 March 2024). "Vilen Adjusting to North American Game". nhl.com. New Jersey Devils. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  20. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (27 April 2021). "Finns rally past Russia in shootout". iihf.com. International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  21. ^ Gallina, Mason (13 December 2022). "Devils Prospect Report: 2023 World Junior Championship & More". thehockeywriters.com. The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  22. ^ 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.

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