Vilén scored a power play goal in Pelicans’ 8-4 pre-season loss against Ilves. He was centering Pelicans’ second line and he was regularly used on the man advantage.

Pelicans had a pretty rough showing as a team, but Vilén managed to stand out, especially in the offensive zone. He showcased a very good arsenal of passes and silky hands. Vilén created chances for his linemates and looked specifically dangerous running the power play from the half wall. His positioning in the defensive zone was also pretty sound for the most part, although he could have been generally more active away from the puck. Vilén skating looked above-average, although not as impressive as his skill or vision.

Vilén scored at a very high rate in the Finnish U18 league last season and managed to put up eight points in 11 games with the Jr. A team. If Pelicans U20 hadn’t been as stacked as they were last season, he probably would have spent the majority of the time with the team. With the proper usage, Vilén could be a threat to score at a point-per-game pace at the U20 level this upcoming season.