Markus Niemeläinen
Markus Niemeläinen (born 8 June 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for Eisbären Berlin in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He previously played for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Oilers in the third round, 63rd overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Niemeläinen began playing hockey in the junior teams of HPK and Tappara in his native Finland. He was then drafted to play for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League in 2015 where he posted 26 assists in his first season.[1] He was drafted 63rd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft but was not signed to a contract and after a second season in Saginaw, Niemeläinen rejoined HPK in 2017.[2]
On 30 April 2020, Niemeläinen signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League.[3]
On September 12, 2024, Niemeläinen signed a one-year contract with Eisbären Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).[4]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | HPK | Jr. A | 39 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 28 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 65 | 1 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 59 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | HPK | Liiga | 42 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | LeKi | Mestis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | HPK | Jr. A | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | HPK | Liiga | 50 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20 | Ässät | Liiga | 55 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ässät | Liiga | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 21 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 34 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 30 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 35 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Liiga totals | 161 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 109 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
| NHL totals | 43 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Finland | U17 | 4th | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Finland | U18 | 
|
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Finland | U18 | 
|
7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||||
Awards & honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Liiga | ||
| Champion (HPK) | 2019 | |
References
- ^ Boylen, Rory (20 June 2016). "Prospect of Interest: The 411 on Markus Niemelainen". sportsnet.ca.
- ^ Matheson, Jim (11 July 2017). "Edmonton Oilers prospect Markus Niemelainen to play in Finland next season". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- ^ "RELEASE: Oilers sign Niemelainen to entry-level contract". Edmonton Oilers. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Ex-Oilers defenseman signs with Eisbären Berlin". The Hockey News. 12 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database