Markus Niemeläinen
Born (1998-06-08) 8 June 1998
Kuopio, Finland
Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams
Edmonton Oilers
Bakersfield Condors (AHL)
HPK
Ässät
NHL Draft 63rd overall, 2016
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 2017present

Markus Niemeläinen (born 8 June 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect 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]

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
Liiga totals 161 3 16 19 109 18 0 2 2 4
NHL totals 43 0 1 1 8
Medal record
Representing  Finland
Ice hockey
World U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 United States
Silver medal – second place2015 Switzerland

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Finland U17 4th 6 1 0 1 2
2015 Finland U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 0 0 0 0
2016 Finland U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 0 1 1 6
Junior totals 20 1 1 2 8

Awards & honors

Award Year
Liiga
Champion (HPK) 2019

References

  1. Boylen, Rory (20 June 2016). "Prospect of Interest: The 411 on Markus Niemelainen". sportsnet.ca.
  2. Matheson, Jim (11 July 2017). "Edmonton Oilers prospect Markus Niemelainen to play in Finland next season". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  3. "RELEASE: Oilers sign Niemelainen to entry-level contract". Edmonton Oilers. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
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