Finnish forward Viljami Marjala impresses for Oilers in rookie showcase

At long last, we witnessed the return of Edmonton Oilers hockey to Rogers Place on Friday night in the rookie showcase against the Calgary Flames. Matthew Savoie was the player to watch heading in, and while he was fantastic, there was also an under-the-radar player who turned some heads. Finnish prospect Viljami Marjala opened the scoring and added an assist in one of the night’s most complete efforts.

The 22-year-old was a 5th-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2021, after a productive season in the QMJHL, where he put up 46 points in 68 games. He caught the attention of scouts for his playmaking, skating, and versatility. However, on June 1 of this year, the Sabres elected not to sign him, so he inked a deal with the Oilers six days later. With the flurry of high-profile European signings by Edmonton this spring, which featured names like David Tomasek and Atro Leppanen, it may have been easy to forget about the younger and less established Marjala. Make no mistake, though, he has some potential.

Marjala has played in SM-Liiga for TPS Turku for the past three seasons. He has steadily increased his production each year, and in 2024-25, he reached an impressive 52 points in 54 games, which tied for the most on his team.

Marjala had his fingerprints all over this game, and it started less than five minutes into the opening frame. Rhett Pitlick poked the puck off Flames’ defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz’s stick and sent Marjala alone on a breakaway. He made no mistake, showing great patience and slipping it five-hole past Owen Say.

As the game wore on, we saw some excellent pressure from Marjala as he forced turnovers and established an effective forecheck. In the third period, he got a chance to play on the top line with Savoie and Ike Howard and got on the scoresheet again. This time, it started with good support in the defensive zone by Marjala, and a nice, quick pass by Howard to get the puck off the boards to him in the middle of the ice. On the ensuing rush, Marjala showed his playmaking chops, feathering a backhand pass between the two Calgary defenders for Savoie to skate into, who then buried his second goal of the game.

Marjala has always been a pass-first player, and he took it to new heights last season. His 44 assists were the most in SM-Liiga among forwards and the fifth-most overall.

“From the forwards’ perspective, I thought Marjala — Will, as he goes by, a nickname — I thought he was slippery, and he made some, like small plays,” said Colin Chaulk, the head coach of the Bakersfield Condors, who was behind the bench for this game.

With his strong play in the first rookie showcase and recognition from Chaulk, it will be interesting to see if Marjala starts the next game back on the second line with Quinn Hutson and Pitlick or if he gets a longer look with two of Edmonton’s top prospects, Savoie and Howard. If he can build on this momentum, he might emerge as someone who could stick around in Edmonton deep into training camp this fall.