Edmonton Oilers defenseman abandons team and signs in Germany

An NHL insider has revealed that Oilers defenseman Markus Niemelainen has decided to leave the NHL and head overseas to play in Germany.

A lot of hope accompanied the fact that the Oilers had selected Markus Niemelainen 63rd overall in the 2016 Draft. He was to be a mainstay for the team. Unfortunately, that never translated, as he has packed his bags and is off to play in Germany. He only played 43 NHL games, with just 20 of those in the Edmonton Oilers jersey.

NHL insider Jim Matheson has revealed the unfortunate news of his departure overseas.

It didn't take long to realize he was better suited for the AHL, spending most of his time there with the Bakersfield Condors. He was big, at 6'5" and 200 pounds, and wasn't supposed to be soft. At least Markus Niemelainen was showing up and blocking shots in those 43 games between the Oilers and Condors, but his stats were less than thrilling, for a career-ending note on offense at least, with just one assist, and eight penalty minutes.

This brought to the forefront a larger issue at the time, with many of the Oilers' later draft picks not turning out so well. The organization has moved on since then, though, as more emphasis has been placed on analytics and smarter drafting to build both the big-league roster and their AHL affiliate.

Source: Oilers DailyOilers defenseman leaves organization to sign with German team

Source: Hockey-ReferenceMarkus Niemelainen Stats

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