| Birth Date: | 8 June 1998 |
| Birth Place: | Kuopio, Finland |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 6 |
| Weight Lb: | 190 |
| Position: | Defence |
| Shoots: | Left |
| Team: | Free agent |
| League: | NHL |
| Prospect League: | AHL |
| Former Teams: | HPK Ässät Edmonton Oilers |
| Draft: | 63rd overall |
| Draft Year: | 2016 |
| Draft Team: | Edmonton Oilers |
| Career Start: | 2017 |
Markus Niemeläinen (born 8 June 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Oilers in the third round, 63rd overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Niemeläinen began playing hockey in the junior teams of HPK and Tappara in his native Finland. He was then drafted to play for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League in 2015 where he posted 26 assists in his first season.[1] He was drafted 63rd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft but was not signed to a contract and after a second season in Saginaw, Niemeläinen rejoined HPK in 2017.[2]
On 30 April 2020, Niemeläinen signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League[3]
| Team | League | GP | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | HPK | Jr. A | 39 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 28 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 65 | 1 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 59 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | HPK | Liiga | 42 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | LeKi | Mestis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | HPK | Jr. A | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | HPK | Liiga | 50 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20 | Ässät | Liiga | 55 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ässät | Liiga | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 21 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 34 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 30 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 35 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Liiga totals | 161 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 109 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
| NHL totals | 43 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Finland | U17 | 4th | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Finland | U18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | Finland | U18 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| Junior totals | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||||
| Award | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Liiga | |||
| Champion (HPK) | 2019 | ||