NEWARK, N.J. --Topias Vilen has a goal heading into New Jersey Devils training camp.
"I just want to be the steal of the draft," he said.
Selected by the Devils in the fifth round (No. 129) of the 2021 NHL Draft, the 20-year-old defenseman has spent the past three seasons in Finland's top professional men's league preparing to prove it.
The next step is trying to surprise the coaches at training camp in September.
"I need to adjust, improve my game and take my spot on the roster," Vilen said during Devils development camp in July. "Over my four seasons in Liiga, I think I've become a more physical player (6-foot-1, 194 pounds), have added more speed to my game, and have gotten more confidence."
That's music to the ears of Devils management after the loss of defensemen Damon Severson in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Ryan Graves, who signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Devils did acquire veteran defenseman Colin Miller in a trade with the Dallas Stars and Luke Hughes is expected to play a big role along the blue line out of training camp.
However, there could be room for another defenseman to start the season.
"He's a really smooth skater for his size and he moves around the ice really well," Devils player development coach Eric Weinrich said of Vilen. "There isn't one certain thing that he does really well but he just he does a lot of things pretty well so his game is pretty well-rounded."
Vilen had 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) and was plus-6 in 41 games with Pelicans last season. He has 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) and is plus-13 in 127 Liiga games.
"In the last few years, he's sort of elevated his role on the team and he's playing in a lot of different situations," Weinrich said. "His coach said he couldn't believe the transformation in his game and thought at that point in the season, he was one of the best defensemen in the league."
Lenni Hameenaho, a forward selected by the Devils in the second round (No. 58) of the 2023 NHL Draft, knows first-hand how difficult it was playing against Vilen. Hameenaho played for Assat in Liiga last season.
"I think he'll be a really good player in the future," Hameenaho said. "I have played against him and he's that kind of player that's not easy to play against."
Vilen signed his entry-level contract with the Devils on May 12, 2022, and has attended New Jersey's development camp the past two summers. He had nine points (four goals, five assists) in 18 playoff games for Liiga last season before joining Utica for one game in the American Hockey League playoffs, a 5-2 loss to Toronto on May 3. It provided Utica coach Kevin Dineen an opportunity to get a first look.
"I think 'composure' is the best way to describe him," Dineen said. "He has a very low panic point when he's under pressure, gets the puck on the stick, and makes good decisions. I hate to [predict] where he'll be playing at this point, but the potential is there to step in and earn a job out of training camp.
"He's a real solid prospect and that's the exciting part about being a part of the Devils."
Photos courtesy: Andrew Maclean, New Jersey Devils
