Prospect Roby Järventie signs one-year deal with Oilers

This signing was surprising, to say the least. Last month, Tappara Tampere, a team in Finland’s SM-Liiga, announced that they signed Järventie to a three-year deal. The move makes sense as his brother, Emil, played for Tappara last season.

Järventie is the son of Martti Järventie, who played one National Hockey League game with the Montréal Canadiens in 2001-02. Roby was selected 33rd overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2020 draft, posting respectable numbers in the American Hockey League once moving to North America. This included a 16-goal, 30-point season in 40 games during the 2022-23 season, as well as a nine-goal, 20-point season in 22 games during the 2023-24 season.

Last off-season, the Oilers traded Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson to the Senators for the Finnish prospect and a fourth-round pick, which was then used to acquire Vasily Podkolzin. Unlike Podkolzin, Järventie only played two games this past season as he dealt with a knee injury, requiring surgery and then reaggravating the injury upon playing his two games with the Bakersfield Condors.

The talent and production are there, as he has 38 goals and 88 points in 138 career American Hockey League games. He also had an assist in the seven NHL games he played in 2023-24. The question is, can he overcome the knee injury that has been plaguing him for numerous seasons?

Time will tell, but if he can return to full health before training camp, there is a chance Järventie could work himself into consideration for a spot in the Oilers’ bottom six.