<p>The <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> continued to add to their organizational depth on Saturday, signing Finnish free agent forward Viljami Marjala to a two-year, entry-level contract, t<a href="https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/release-oilers-sign-marjala-to-entry-level-contract">he club announced</a>.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Marjala, 22, stands at 6&#8217;1, 176 lbs. and was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL entry draft. He never signed a contract with the Sabres — instead, after a two year stint with the QMJHL&#8217;s Quebec Remparts, he returned home to Finland.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2107" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="325"></div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">ICYMI: Viljami Marjala flashed his hands and skating on his second of two goals in TPS Turku&#39;s season-ending loss. It&#39;s better with the broadcast audio. Next stop North America? <a href="https://t.co/G3SJDO76sE">pic.twitter.com/G3SJDO76sE</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Kris Baker (@SabresProspects) <a href="https://twitter.com/SabresProspects/status/1904317881694732555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>There, he&#8217;s spent the last three seasons playing in TPS Turku&#8217;s system, spending the majority of his time in the Finnish Elite League, scoring 29 goals and 101 points in 129 games. During his time with the Remparts, Marjala scored 18 goals and 73 points in 98 games.</p>
<p>This past season was his best in Finland, as in 54 games, he put up eight goals and 44 assists for 52 points. His assist totals ranked fifth in the league, while his point total had him tied for ninth.</p>
<p>Buffalo had until June 1st to sign him, but chose not to. <em>Sabre Noise</em> writer Zackary Laware <a href="https://sabrenoise.com/3-prospects-the-sabres-no-longer-have-rights-to-01jwvtenp7pw">opined</a> that letting Marjala walk &#8220;was also a bad decision by the Sabres, as this is another player who could blossom and benefit from playing in the Sabres system.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>Oilersnation</em> prospect analyst Bruce Curlock, however, isn&#8217;t so convinced.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don’t see this much more than an AHL roster spot,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/bcurlock/status/1931386069012078689">he wrote on X</a> after the signing. &#8220;This is a very good playmaking forward with decent size, but his skating and change of pace are very slow. Smart no question. However I think he gets overwhelmed by AHL players with size and speed.&#8221;</p>
<p>Marjala had recently signed a contract with the Finnish Elite League&#8217;s Karpat, according to <a href="https://atleetti.fi/urheilucast-karppien-viljami-marjala-on-lahtokuopissa/">Finnish outlet Atleeti</a>, who reported the team was preparing themselves to lose him to a North American team. Freelance Finnish journalist <a href="https://x.com/dasb00t/status/1929411090611327118?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1929411090611327118%7Ctwgr%5E4aeae9ceb6ad47d7dfa0a66504d8ba2797a23f98%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fatleetti.fi%2Furheilucast-karppien-viljami-marjala-on-lahtokuopissa%2F">Janne Onnela</a>, who <em>Atleeti</em> said follows Karpat close, said on June 1st the biggest threat to Karpat wasn&#8217;t the Sabres signing Marjala, but him hitting the open market as a free agent.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoOilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoOilers</a> signed 22 y/o UFA F Viljami Marjala to 2 year ELC:</p>
<p>Salary 775K<br />Signing Bonus 97.5K<br />GP Bonus 102.5K<br />Minors 85K</p>
<p>Cap Hit 872.5K, AAV 975K</p>
<p>Rep&#39;d by Ian Pulver &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/MikaBackman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MikaBackman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WillSportsGroup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WillSportsGroup</a> </p>
<p>Orig. Drafted 5th Round &#39;21 by BUF<a href="https://t.co/4mPSiik5AR">https://t.co/4mPSiik5AR</a></p>
<p>&mdash; PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PuckPedia/status/1931401834121629824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The move continues to show a commitment from the Oilers front office to reshaping the organizational depth. Marjala marks the sixth college or <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/stan-bowman-history-european-free-agent-signings-oilers">European free agen</a>t the team has signed since April 1st, following defenceman <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/31/edmonton-oilers-sign-defenceman-damien-carfagna-to-two-year-entry-level-contract/">Damien Carfagna</a>, centre <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/02/oilers-sign-german-forward-josh-samanski-entry-level-contract/">Josh Samanski</a>, centre <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/02/edmonton-oilers-sign-david-tomasek-one-year-contract/">David Tomasek</a>, defenceman <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/13/oilers-sign-record-breaking-finnish-defenceman-atro-leppanen-to-one-year-entry-level-contract/">Atro Leppanen</a>, and winger <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/15/interesting-facts-oilers-quinn-hutson/">Quinn Hutson</a>.</p>
<p>The Oilers have gotten deals done with a number of their own prospects, too, signing drafted goaltenders Nathaniel Day and Samuel Jonsson to entry-level contracts, as well as pending restricted free agents<a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/19/edmonton-oilers-sign-ty-emberson-two-year-extension/"> Ty Emberson</a>, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/03/prospect-roby-jarventie-signs-one-year-deal-edmonton-oilers/">Roby Jarventie</a> and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/05/02/edmonton-oilers-sign-alec-regula-two-year-extension/">Alec Regula</a>.</p>
<h2>READ MORE</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/stan-bowman-history-european-free-agent-signings-oilers">Oilers hoping Stan Bowman can replicate previous success with European free agents</a></li>
<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/what-edmonton-oilers-signing-quinn-hutson-bring-to-the-team">What the Oilers’ newest signing Quinn Hutson can bring to the team</a></li>
<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/roby-jarventie-wanted-to-re-sign-edmonton-oilers-sign-overseas-deal-backup">Roby Jarventie wanted to re-sign with Oilers, inked overseas deal as backup</a></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at</span></i> <em><a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a></em><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>,</em> or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.</span></i></p>
<hr />
<h2><strong>ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365</strong></h2>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="325" data-promotion-id="19111" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>

The <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> continued to add to their organizational depth on Saturday, signing Finnish free agent forward Viljami Marjala to a two-year, entry-level contract, t<a href="https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/release-oilers-sign-marjala-to-entry-level-contract">he club announced</a>.



Marjala, 22, stands at 6'1, 176 lbs. and was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL entry draft. He never signed a contract with the Sabres — instead, after a two year stint with the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts, he returned home to Finland.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2107" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="325"></div>
https://twitter.com/SabresProspects/status/1904317881694732555

There, he's spent the last three seasons playing in TPS Turku's system, spending the majority of his time in the Finnish Elite League, scoring 29 goals and 101 points in 129 games. During his time with the Remparts, Marjala scored 18 goals and 73 points in 98 games.

This past season was his best in Finland, as in 54 games, he put up eight goals and 44 assists for 52 points. His assist totals ranked fifth in the league, while his point total had him tied for ninth.

Buffalo had until June 1st to sign him, but chose not to. <em>Sabre Noise</em> writer Zackary Laware <a href="https://sabrenoise.com/3-prospects-the-sabres-no-longer-have-rights-to-01jwvtenp7pw">opined</a> that letting Marjala walk "was also a bad decision by the Sabres, as this is another player who could blossom and benefit from playing in the Sabres system."

<em>Oilersnation</em> prospect analyst Bruce Curlock, however, isn't so convinced.

"I don’t see this much more than an AHL roster spot," <a href="https://x.com/bcurlock/status/1931386069012078689">he wrote on X</a> after the signing. "This is a very good playmaking forward with decent size, but his skating and change of pace are very slow. Smart no question. However I think he gets overwhelmed by AHL players with size and speed."

Marjala had recently signed a contract with the Finnish Elite League's Karpat, according to <a href="https://atleetti.fi/urheilucast-karppien-viljami-marjala-on-lahtokuopissa/">Finnish outlet Atleeti</a>, who reported the team was preparing themselves to lose him to a North American team. Freelance Finnish journalist <a href="https://x.com/dasb00t/status/1929411090611327118?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1929411090611327118%7Ctwgr%5E4aeae9ceb6ad47d7dfa0a66504d8ba2797a23f98%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fatleetti.fi%2Furheilucast-karppien-viljami-marjala-on-lahtokuopissa%2F">Janne Onnela</a>, who <em>Atleeti</em> said follows Karpat close, said on June 1st the biggest threat to Karpat wasn't the Sabres signing Marjala, but him hitting the open market as a free agent.

https://twitter.com/PuckPedia/status/1931401834121629824

The move continues to show a commitment from the Oilers front office to reshaping the organizational depth. Marjala marks the sixth college or <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/stan-bowman-history-european-free-agent-signings-oilers">European free agen</a>t the team has signed since April 1st, following defenceman <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/31/edmonton-oilers-sign-defenceman-damien-carfagna-to-two-year-entry-level-contract/">Damien Carfagna</a>, centre <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/02/oilers-sign-german-forward-josh-samanski-entry-level-contract/">Josh Samanski</a>, centre <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/02/edmonton-oilers-sign-david-tomasek-one-year-contract/">David Tomasek</a>, defenceman <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/13/oilers-sign-record-breaking-finnish-defenceman-atro-leppanen-to-one-year-entry-level-contract/">Atro Leppanen</a>, and winger <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/15/interesting-facts-oilers-quinn-hutson/">Quinn Hutson</a>.

The Oilers have gotten deals done with a number of their own prospects, too, signing drafted goaltenders Nathaniel Day and Samuel Jonsson to entry-level contracts, as well as pending restricted free agents<a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/19/edmonton-oilers-sign-ty-emberson-two-year-extension/"> Ty Emberson</a>, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/03/prospect-roby-jarventie-signs-one-year-deal-edmonton-oilers/">Roby Jarventie</a> and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/05/02/edmonton-oilers-sign-alec-regula-two-year-extension/">Alec Regula</a>.
<h2>READ MORE</h2>
<ul>
 	<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/stan-bowman-history-european-free-agent-signings-oilers">Oilers hoping Stan Bowman can replicate previous success with European free agents</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/what-edmonton-oilers-signing-quinn-hutson-bring-to-the-team">What the Oilers’ newest signing Quinn Hutson can bring to the team</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/roby-jarventie-wanted-to-re-sign-edmonton-oilers-sign-overseas-deal-backup">Roby Jarventie wanted to re-sign with Oilers, inked overseas deal as backup</a></li>
</ul>

<hr />

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at</span></i> <em><a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a></em><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>,</em> or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.</span></i>

<hr />

<h2><strong>ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365</strong></h2>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="325" data-promotion-id="19111" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>

Oilers sign Finnish free agent Viljami Marjala to two-year, entry-level contract

Recent articles from Zach Laing

Breaking News