REPORT - The Edmonton Oilers Have Made a Roster Move

Niemelainen, who was sent to Bakersfield in late November, has returned to the Oilers' roster following a 10-game AHL stay.  The Oilers selected Niemelainen, 24th overall in the third round of the 2016 draft, and he has improved steadily since then. 

Niemelainen got one assist in 20 games last season while playing more than 13 minutes a night and over a minute on the penalty kill. Niemelainen has appeared in 15 NHL games so far this year, but has not seen much action. He gets less than 10 minutes on the ice on average each night, and his time on the penalty kill has also decreased.

But Niemelainen's overall position in the AHL is what the Oilers are probably hoping he can grow into on their NHL team. Niemelainen's top-four minutes and significant amount of penalty-killing time underscore the Oilers' belief that he has the ability to grow into an NHL shutdown specialist.

Now that he is back with the starting lineup, Niemelainen will look to coach Jay Woodcroft for more ice time in order to continue improving at the top level of the game.