Oilers sign Viljami Marjala to two-year entry-level contract
The Edmonton Oilers have signed left winger Viljami Marjala to a two-year entry-level contract, the club announced Saturday.
Marjala, 22, was previously selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, but went unsigned and had his rights expire on June 1, allowing him to sign with the Oilers as a free agent.
A 6-foot-1 winger, Marjala has spent the last three seasons playing professionally with TPS Turku, in Finland’s Liiga, the top division of Finnish hockey. Through his time there, he dressed in 129 games, scoring 29 goals and 101 points, establishing himself as one of the team’s most productive forwards.
In 2024-25, he scored eight goals and 52 points, tying for TPS Turku’s scoring lead, with his 44 assists ranking fifth among all Liiga players and the most among all forwards on his team.
🚨 VILJAMI MARJALA, TERVE! 😮💨🍯
📺 @MTVUrheilu | #Liiga #HCTPS pic.twitter.com/dLRmqW0uGX
While he established himself as an elite playmaker in his most recent campaign, his goalscoring dipped from 2023-24, when he scored 17 times in 60 Liiga regular season games, before netting an additional three goals in nine playoff games.
Before starting his professional career in Finland, Marjala played two seasons with the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts, scoring 18 goals and 55 assists in 98 games, while also helping them to the QMJHL semifinals in 2022, scoring a goal and eight points in 12 President’s Cup Playoff games.
Prior to that, he played youth hockey with Kärpät’s academy in Finland.
A native of Haukipudas, Finland, Marjala has spent time at both the left wing and center throughout his career, and has represented his national team 12 times at the senior level, but never at an Olympics or the IIHF World Hockey Championship.
Marjala is the second prospect signed by the Oilers in June, joining Roby Jarventie, who the club signed on June 3. However, despite eyes to the future, the Oilers maintain their focus on the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, sitting with the series tied at 1-1 after two games against the Florida Panthers.