Topias Vilen Signs 3-Year, Entry-Level Contract | RELEASE

Newark, NJ - The New Jersey Devils today signed defenseman Topias Vilen, the club's fifth-round draft pick and the 129th overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft to a three-year, entry-level contract starting in the 2022-23 regular season. Vilen will attend New Jersey's Development Camp this summer. The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald.
Vilen, 19, played in 50 games this past season for Lahden (Liiga) in Finland's top professional ice hockey league and tallied six assists. Born April 1, 2003, he was the Pelicans youngest rostered player for the 2021-22 campaign. Additionally, Vilen played in three postseason games with the Pelicans during the 2021-22 Liiga Playoffs.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound defenseman also skated in 35 regular-season games with the Pelicans at the Liiga level in 2020-21 and earned eight points (3g-5a) overall. Prior to his Liiga experience, Vilen was a member of the Pelicans organization for the Under-20, U-18 and U-17 levels dating to 2017-18.
A native of Lahti, Finland, the left-handed shot represented his home country in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in 2020, and the International Ice Hockey Federation's Under-18 World Junior Championship (WJC) in 2021. In the 2021 WJC, Vilen served as an assistant captain, collected four assists and was teammates with fellow Devils' prospect Samu Salminen (2021 NHL Draft, Round 3, 68th overall).