Markus Niemeläinen
Markus Niemeläinen (born June 8, 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman playing for Ässät of Liiga as a prospect for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the third round, 63rd overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Markus Niemeläinen | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Kuopio, Finland | June 8, 1998||
Height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) | ||
Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
Position | Defence | ||
Shoots | Right | ||
NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Edmonton Oilers Ässät (Liiga) | ||
NHL Draft |
63rd overall, 2016 Edmonton Oilers | ||
Playing career | 2017–present |
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]
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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Liiga totals | 147 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 74 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing ![]() | ||
Ice hockey | ||
World U18 Championships | ||
![]() | 2016 United States | |
![]() | 2015 Switzerland |
Awards & honors
Award | Year | |
---|---|---|
Liiga | ||
Champion (HPK) | 2019 |
References
- Boylen, Rory (June 20, 2016). "Prospect of Interest: The 411 on Markus Niemelainen". sportsnet.ca.
- Matheson, Jim (July 11, 2017). "Edmonton Oilers prospect Markus Niemelainen to play in Finland next season". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- "RELEASE: Oilers sign Niemelainen to entry-level contract". Edmonton Oilers. April 30, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database