Topias Vilen
Vilen enters camp as a longshot depth option on New Jersey's blue line, with an exhibition look but no clear path yet to a regular NHL job this fall.
Role
In New Jersey's preseason game against the Rangers on September 21, 2026 (per Inside The Rink's preview and the Devils' own preseason schedule release), Vilen skated on the third defense pairing with Mikael Diotte, behind Luke Hughes-Brett Pesce and Jonas Siegenthaler-Dougie Hamilton; Jake Allen and Nico Daws split the goaltending that night. No power-play assignment for Vilen has been reported. Per NHL.com's September 16, 2026 training camp preview ('5 Questions for Camp'), he is one of five defensemen (Seamus Casey, Declan Chisholm, Ethan Edwards, Vladislav Kolyachonok, and Vilen) competing for depth blue-line jobs, with Chisholm and Kolyachonok (both left-shot, like Vilen) viewed as more seasoned options and Casey seen as having an edge for the right-side vacancy.
He has already been slotted into an exhibition lineup pairing on the third pair, which at minimum shows the coaching staff is giving him game reps this camp and a puncher's chance at a bottom-pairing NHL spot if injuries or attrition open one up.
A late-August 2026 Sportsnaut prospect rankings piece places him on New Jersey's bubble list and describes him as having 'lower upside than the higher-ranked defensemen,' and he trails more experienced left-shot rivals Chisholm (125 career NHL games) and Kolyachonok (87 career NHL games) in the same competition, pointing toward a likely assignment to AHL Utica if the numbers don't break his way.
Where analysts split
Whether Vilen beats out Chisholm, Kolyachonok, Edwards, or Casey for New Jersey's last available blue-line roster spot this fall, or opens the season with AHL Utica instead. No beat writer or Daily Faceoff style outlet found offers a confident call either way; the exhibition lineup and camp preview only establish that he is in the mix.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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