Early Wednesday morning, the New Jersey Devils announced a one-year, two-way extension to 23-year-old defense prospect Topias Vilen. This move ended the negotiations for all restricted free agents in New Jersey, with Sunny Mehta having previously doled out extensions to six other players whose rights were still held by the Devils.
Vilen, a lefty, played 61 games with the Utica Comets in 2025-26, totaling four goals and 27 total points while earning his first NHL cup of coffee. He didn't tally any points in his two games in the big leagues, but held his own well enough in limited minutes.
Topias Vilen gives the Devils young defensive depth
He has been a middle-pair staple for Utica for three seasons, accumulating seven goals and 80 points across 173 AHL games since becoming a mainstay in the lineup. Vilen has played on the power play and penalty kill alike, relying on his sound two-way IQ to make a difference on both sides of the ice.
Vilen, a Devils' fifth-round selection from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, does have his work cut out for him in terms of projecting to play in New Jersey. As a lefty, the Devils' pipeline is somewhat crowded. At the NHL level, two new additions were made this off-season, with Declan Chisholm and Vladislav Kolyachonok being brought on. Things already had gotten complicated for his likelihood to make it when Anton Silayev signed his entry-level contract -- while I don't think Vilen is likely to play below newcomer Etienne Morin, I would be shocked if he wasn't playing behind Silayev.
Still, Vilen's skill set is translatable to NHL minutes, and perhaps more competition will serve him well in the long run. Adding more talent to the farm team will push him harder than he has ever been pushed before, especially if his ultimate goal is to play in the NHL with consistency.
For now, though, this extension crosses off another bit of business on Mehta's imminent to-do list.
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