Oilers 2026 Prospect Countdown No. 7: Viljami Marjala

Marjala played in 30 games during the COVID-shortened season, in which he scored five goals and finished with 27 points. That was enough to warrant a draft pick from the Buffalo Sabres, and in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL draft, Marjala heard his name called. The Sabres draft pick returned to Quebec for another season with the Remparts; however, it was a step back for Marjala, as he scored only 13 goals and notched 46 points in 68 games.

The following season, Marjala returned home to Finland and joined the TPS organization, starting with their under-20 team in the U20 SM-sarja league. Marjala started to find his mojo again, scoring 18 goals with 51 points in 32 games throughout the 2022-23 season. The smart centre was called up to TPS’ main squad for 15 games, where he scored four goals and nine points. For a 19-to-20-year-old player, those are some very intriguing numbers. After receiving the initial call-up, TPS’ young star never looked back.

The 2023-24 season was Marjala’s first full season in a professional league, and it was another impressive showing. He appeared in 60 games with 17 goals and 40 points, but the 2024-25 season is when Marjala made a name for himself. In 54 games, the Finnish star scored only eight goals but had 44 assists and put Marjala in a tie for first place in team scoring with 52 points. The Buffalo Sabres chose not to sign Marjala, and ultimately they lost his rights on June 1, 2025. About six days later, the Edmonton Oilers made it official that Marjala would sign his two-year entry-level contract with the organization and that he would play the 2025-26 season with the Bakersfield Condors.

How has Viljami Marjala performed in his return to North America?

Marjala’s first season in the professional ranks of North American hockey was a great one. The 6-foot-1 centre played in 72 games (the only player to do so with the Condors); Marjala only scored 17 goals, but, as usual, his assist total was more than double his goal total, as he finished the season with 43 assists. That’s the main strength of Marjala’s game, and he’s the perfect complement to his volume-shooting linemate Quinn Hutson. The Finnish prospect is an incredible set-up man; there isn’t a pass that Marjala doesn’t think he can make.

Some of the passes I have clipped are downright nasty. Marjala keeps an excellent map of the ice in his mind at all times. This allows him to make these no-look passes; however, it’s not just the fancy passing that Marjala excels at. Efficiency is the name of the game for Marjala, and boy is he ever good at it. There aren’t many turnovers coming out of him because of how willing and skilled a passer he is. The puck is either going cross-ice for a chance, or Marjala is somehow finding his teammate in the slot even if he is covered.

There isn’t a game that goes by where the 176-pound centre isn’t setting up his teammates for high-danger chances. It’s not overly complicated, but Marjala is great at changing the pace, getting all the eyes on him, making the little pass under pressure, and, most importantly, he isn’t scared to make a risky pass. His playmaking awareness is some of the best of any Oilers prospect we have right now, and I probably have it ranked as the best at the moment. Marjala, in general, is just a highly skilled player, and he has the potential to make a lot of defenders look silly, as he did this year with Bakersfield.

These are some straight-up “holy” moments coming from Marjala, and not a lot of prospects get you feeling that way within the pipeline right now. Like Hutson, Marjala is great at understanding his range and the defender’s range. But Marjala is also excellent at getting his defenders to cross their feet and then going against the grain. The Condors’ top centreman uses the defence’s “triangle” against them and is able to slide the puck under their stick with ease.

It’s not like he is doing it once a month and never having success again. There’s a strong pattern of Marjala showing off his great hands, but it also shows off his smarts in how he is attacking the defenders. One of my favourite parts about this aspect of Marjala’s game is the fact that he won’t go out of his way to make these moves; if there is a pass that is a better option, he will go that route. In these cases, it just happened that he had to create on his own first. It’s clear from his goal totals over the past few years, but I don’t think he will ever be a massive goal scorer at any level for a few reasons: first, he loves to pass the puck, and he is extremely good at it. Secondly, the shooting mechanics could use some tweaking, so when he does decide to shoot, it doesn’t come with much zip behind it.

Instead of snapping the puck, the playmaking centre has more of a sweeping motion. The top hand is a little close to his body at the start, but it comes off a little bit when he releases the puck, need to just pull down a little harder with the top hand to generate some extra leverage in the shaft. This is the least of my concerns, honestly. The skating mechanics aren’t the cleanest either, but I don’t think that’s because I believe Marjala’s brain keeps up with the pace of play just fine. It could limit his ceiling as a prospect.

The stride length is a little short for my liking; Marjala is very upright and doesn’t get his knees over his toes, and he is generally more of an inside-edge player than an outside-edge player. But as I said above, I think he sticks with the pace of play just fine, and he takes exceptional routes all over the ice.

Viljami Marjala’s 2026-27 projection and NHL timelines

Marjala is slight at just 176 pounds, and he isn’t the most overwhelming defender down low. The Finnish star can keep pressure on his backside at the AHL level, but can he do it against bigger and stronger defenders at the NHL level? I worry about that, and not having that “escapability” in skating kind of worries me. This upcoming season is year two of his two-year entry-level deal, and if it’s anything like last year, I believe he will earn a second two-way contract. I think Marjala is a smart defensive player, but as I said above, he won’t be a showstopper in your own zone. Can he play a fourth-line centre/winger role at the highest level? I think he can, but does that suit his skill set? Not a lot of coaches want to use offence-first players in their bottom-six, and I can see a realm where, much like Quinn Hutson, Marjala might be too good for the AHL and just can’t find a role in the NHL. But as a team without much centre depth, I would love to see Marjala get a chance down the NHL lineup this year or next if injuries occur or it’s towards the end of the season.

Top 20 Oilers prospects for 2026-27