Topias Vilén
Topias Vilén | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1, 2003 Finland |
| Occupation | Ice hockey defenceman |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Known for | Playing professionally with the Utica Comets in the AHL; prospect for New Jersey Devils in the NHL |
Topias Vilén (born 1 April 2003) is a Finnish ice hockey defenceman currently playing professionally with the Utica Comets in the American Hockey League (AHL). He is a prospect under contract with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), who selected him 129th overall in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Starting his hockey journey at four years old in Lahti, Finland, Vilén advanced through the youth and junior ranks of the Lahti Pelicans organization. He made his professional debut for the Pelicans' SM-liiga team on 18 February 2020, at just 16 years old. In April 2020, he secured a two-year contract extension with the Pelicans.
Throughout the 2020–21 season, Vilén appeared in 35 SM-liiga contests and six Mestis games, netting his first league goal on 30 October 2020. Following that season, he was drafted by the New Jersey Devils and subsequently extended his contract with the Pelicans until 2023.
In the 2021–22 campaign, Vilén played 50 games in SM-liiga, averaging close to 15 minutes on ice per game and tallying six points. On 12 May 2022, he inked a three-year entry-level deal with the Devils but was loaned back to Lahti for the 2022–23 season. After helping his team reach the Liiga finals, he joined New Jersey’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, making his AHL debut in May 2023.
Following Devils training camp ahead of the 2023–24 season, Vilén was assigned to Utica. He registered his first AHL points with two assists on 27 October 2023. After sustaining an injury and completing rehabilitation, he was sent to Adirondack Thunder, New Jersey’s ECHL affiliate, where he contributed assists early on and scored his inaugural ECHL goal on 3 January 2024. He notched his first AHL goal on 15 January and received commendation from Comets head coach Kevin Dineen for improvements in his passing and skating skills. By season’s conclusion, Vilén had established himself as a vital defensive presence for Utica.
In a preseason game in September 2024, Vilén suffered an upper-body injury but was later activated from injured reserve and reassigned to Utica in late October. He spent the entire season with the Comets, accumulating one goal and 24 points across 58 games.
International play
Vilén has represented Finland at multiple junior levels, serving as an alternate captain during both the 2021 World U18 Championship and the 2023 World Junior Championship.
Personal life
He is the younger sibling of Elias Vilén; both brothers competed together within the Lahti Pelicans system, including participation in Finland’s premier SM-liiga.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2019–20 | Lahti Pelicans | U20 SM-sarja | 40 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Lahti Pelicans | SM-liiga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Peliitat | Mestis | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Lahti Pelicans | SM-liiga | 35 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Peliitat | Mestis | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Lahti Pelicans | SM-liiga | 50 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Lahti Pelicans | U20 SM-sarja | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Lahti Pelicans | SM-liiga | 41 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 31 | ||
| 2022–23 | Utica Comets | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Utica Comets | AHL | 54 | 2 | 27 | 29 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Adirondack Thunder | ECHL | 6 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Utica Comets | AHL | 58 | 1 | 23 | 24 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Liiga totals | 127 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 24 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 33 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Placement | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Finland | U17 | 7th place | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Finland | U18 | 4th place | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2023 | Finland | WJC | Finished 5th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Overall junior statistics | 16 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||||