Edmonton Oilers Sign Top Finnish Forward to a Two-Year Contract

The Edmonton Oilers may be in the middle of the Stanley Cup finals, but that isn't stopping GM Stan Bowman from making moves, and he just signed a player. The Edmonton Oilers have inked forward Viljami Marjala to a two-year entry-level contract, the team announced Saturday. Marjala, 22, was originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft but never signed and became a free agent on June 1. The 6-foot-1 right winger spent the last three seasons with TPS Turku in Finland's premier professional league, Liiga, where he played 129 games and had 29 goals and 101 points. In 2024-25, Marjala totaled a career-high 52 points, tied for the team high and fifth in the league with 44 assists, a league best among TPS forwards. Although his goal total dropped from 17 in 2023-24 to eight last season, his passing prowess was apparent. Before turning pro, Marjala played junior hockey for the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts with 73 points in 98 games and helped the team advance to the 2022 QMJHL