Niemelainen was put on waivers by Edmonton on Friday.
Niemelainen was a healthy scratch in Edmonton's 8-1 loss to Vancouver on Wednesday. He has an assist in 43 career NHL contests.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Up with big club
Rotowire
Niemelainen was recalled from AHL Bakersfield on Wednesday.
Niemelainen will be with the Oilers as defensive depth, likely for the rest of the playoffs. The 24-year-old played in 23 NHL games this year but failed to record a point while adding 61 hits, 16 shots on net, 16 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Returns to AHL
Rotowire
Niemelainen was reassigned to AHL Bakersfield on Monday.
Niemelainen has no points, a plus-3 rating, 61 hits and 16 blocks in 24 games with Edmonton this season. He also has two assists in 10 AHL contests.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Up with Oilers
Rotowire
Niemelainen was summoned by Edmonton on Friday.
Niemelainen has two assists in 10 AHL games this season. With Edmonton, he's recorded no points, 11 blocked shots and 45 hits in 15 contests while averaging 9:44 of ice time.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Sent down Friday
Rotowire
Niemelainen was reassigned to AHL Bakersfield on Friday.
While his physicality has been a plus, Niemelainen has been a void on offense. He's collected zero points and 10 shots on goal through 15 games while adding 45 hits, 11 blocked shots, four PIM and a plus-1 rating in a third-pairing role. The 24-year-old will work on rounding out his offensive game in the AHL, while Philip Broberg was called up to take his place on the roster.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Promoted Monday
Rotowire
Niemelainen was recalled from AHL Bakersfield on Monday.
Niemelainen tallied one assist in 20 games with Edmonton last season. He was sent to the AHL level before the regular season started and he'll likely be a healthy scratch Tuesday against Buffalo.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Sent to AHL
Rotowire
Niemelainen was sent to AHL Bakersfield on Saturday, according to the Oilers' website.
The defenseman played 20 games for the Oilers last season, picking up one assist. There is still a chance that Niemelainen will be recalled to the Oilers in advance of Opening Night on Wednesday against the Canucks, but he'll likely begin the season in the minors.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Signs two-year extension
Rotowire
Niemelainen inked a two-year, $1.5 million extension on Thursday.
Niemelainen's new contract carries an annual value of $762,000. He has tallied seven points over 23 AHL Bakersfield contests in 2021-22. The 23-year-old has averaged 13:11 of ice time, delivered 82 hits, blocked 19 shots and distributed one assist over 20 NHL appearances this season.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Loaned to AHL
Rotowire
Niemelainen was assigned to AHL Bakersfield on Tuesday.
Niemelainen has averaged 12:45 of ice time and dealt one assist over the last 13 games. The 23-year-old will return to AHL Bakersfield seeking to add to his seven points over 23 appearances in 2021-22.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Earns first NHL point
Rotowire
Niemelainen posted an assist in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Panthers.
This was the first NHL point for Niemelainen, who has been with the Oilers for eight straight games following his ascension from AHL Bakersfield. He should rotate with Philip Broberg to round out the third defensive pairing for the foreseeable future.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Recalled from AHL Bakersfield
Rotowire
Niemelainen was promoted from AHL Bakersfield on Thursday, per Jason Gregor of OilersNation.com.
Niemelainen has yet to record his first NHL point, going scoreless over seven appearances this season. The 23-year-old has logged two goals and five assists over 23 games with AHL Bakersfield in 2021-22.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Dropped to AHL
Rotowire
Niemelainen (hand) was reassigned to AHL Bakersfield on Tuesday.
This transaction likely indicates that Niemelainen is healthy and he should see some playing time in the minors. The 23-year-old rookie hasn't suited up since Dec. 14 after breaking his hand. He could be back at the NHL level, or at least the taxi squad, in the near future.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Out at least three weeks
Rotowire
Niemelainen has a broken bone in his hand and will miss at least three weeks, Mark Spector of Sportsnet.ca reports.
At the earliest, Niemelainen could return around the middle of January. More information on his status will likely be available as that return date gets closer. The rookie defenseman has been held without a point in his first seven NHL appearances and was placed on injured reserve earlier this month.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Promoted to top level
Rotowire
Niemelainen was recalled by the Oilers on Tuesday.
Cody Ceci (COVID-19 protocols) and Duncan Keith (upper body) both appear to be on track to miss Wednesday's game versus Pittsburgh, so Niemelainen could make his NHL debut against the Penguins. Niemelainen's picked up three points through 14 AHL appearances this year.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Sent down to minors
Rotowire
Niemelainen was assigned to AHL Bakersfield on Saturday.
Niemelainen attended the Oilers' training camp for a week, but he'll now work on cementing a role in the minors. Assuming he doesn't return to his native Finland, this would be Niemelainen's first professional season in North America.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Joining Oilers at training camp
Rotowire
Niemelainen will report to the Oilers' training camp, Dustin Nielson of TSN 1260 reports.
Niemelainen is unlikely to make the Oilers' Opening Night roster, but it will be a valuable experience for the third-round pick from 2016. The 22-year-old blueliner will likely return to Assat Pori of the Finnish SM-Liiga after training camp before making the jump to North America permanently in the 2021-22 campaign.
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Oilers' Markus Niemelainen: Grabs entry-level deal
Rotowire
Niemelainen inked a two-year, entry-level contract with Edmonton on Thursday.
Niemelainen notched one goal and six helpers in 55 contests with Assat Pori last year. Following his junior career, the 21-year-old has spent the past three seasons playing in Finland. The 21-year-old is expected to stick with Assat for the 2020-21 campaign before making a return to North America.