Topias Vilén, D, Pelicans (New Jersey Devils)

After signing his entry-level contract with the Devils last summer, Topias Vilén has surprisingly risen into a significant role with the Pelicans. He's now averaging almost 20 minutes of ice time per game, a four-minute increase from last season. Being given a spot on the second power play unit, Vilén has also already surpassed his point totals from 2021–22, having added six goals and nine points in just 18 games.

Most notably, Vilén's activation and aggressiveness have turned up quite a bit from last season. He's now looking to join rush opportunities much more often, also seeking out in-zone offensive opportunities with more urgency. His skating looks to have taken a step forward from last season, which has facilitated the changes in his play style. He's likely not an 11 percent shooter, but Vilén could easily have more assists with all the playmaking flashes he's shown.

There's still quite a bit of stuff Vilén needs to work on, too. His aggressiveness with both offensive involvement and pinches have occasionally left him and his line vulnerable to quick counter-attacks. While he's a capable on-puck defender, his awareness in off-puck situations could be further improved. The same goes for his breakouts, where he sometimes lacks finesse. He'll play in a top-pairing role for Finland at the upcoming World Juniors.

Topias Vilén, D, Pelicans (New Jersey Devils)
12. Topias Vilen, LHD, 19 (Pelicans)

Vilén’s mature defensive presence and heads-up simplicity pushed him up levels quickly. This season, that has included leading Finland in ice-time at the world juniors and playing 20 minutes a night for the Pelicans in Liiga play (with strong underlying results to boot). His strengths are certainly defensive (defending the rush, breaking up plays, boxing out) but he’ll try to activate when he can. And while his offensive game is a little limited, he’s capable of making the available play, he’s got a good first pass, and he gets his shots through (a lot of his assists come from rebounds off of his shots through traffic) with a low, hard half windup slapper that he uses and a wrister that whips off of his long stick. While he’s got good posture through his skating mechanics, which helps him generate power once he gets going and defend the rush effectively when he’s got time to gap up, he lacks acceleration from a standstill. I’d qualify him as a low-ceiling guy even with his advanced experience to this point, but there are a lot of folks in Finland who believe he’s going to become a solid bottom-pairing depth defenseman.