New Oilers defenceman went from working in a Finnish factory to turning heads in Edmonton

(Edmonton, AB) -- For Atro Leppänen, the dream of one day playing in the NHL seemed like a long shot just a few years ago. It’s been a long road to Edmonton Oilers training camp for the 26-year-old defenceman.

by Preston Hodgkinson - DH Sports

Three years ago, Leppänen was coming off an unremarkable year in the Mestis Hockey League (a second-tier Finnish league) with little to no NHL prospects. He was an undrafted and relatively unknown player who had to take on second jobs to make ends meet. But something changed after that season.

The very next year, the Finnish defender exploded for 58 points to lead his Mestis team and earned a promotion to the top-flight SM-Liiga the very next year. His rookie season showed promise with 28 points in 55 games, but nobody saw his sophomore season coming.

Leppänen obliterated the competition in 2024-25, setting a single-season SM-Liiga record with 63 points as a defenceman. This earned him a contract with the Oilers last spring, giving him a shot to play in North America for the first time.

It’s a long way from his roots in Mänttä, a small Finnish town of 6,341 people that former Oilers defender Risto Siltanen is also from.

“On and off, in the summers I worked in a couple of factories,” Leppänen told a small group of reporters on Wednesday night. “In a museum, for a couple of summers, watching the paintings, [making sure] nobody touches the paintings, that was my job.

“I had no interest in going to school. I didn’t really have anything else I wanted to do. I wasn’t thinking too much about quitting [hockey].”

The Oilers signed Leppänen to a one-year contract that pays him $975,000 in the NHL, but that total drops significantly to $85,000 in the AHL. Considering his record-breaking season in Finland last year, he could’ve made a lot more in Europe, but he wanted to pursue his NHL dream.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to come, and if you get the opportunity, you just have to take it,” Leppänen said. “[The Oilers] reached out somewhere in the spring… I just made an intuitive choice.

“It was an easy choice to come here. Pretty nice place and good players.”

Leppänen says one other unidentified NHL team offered him a contract before he decided to sign with the Oilers. It’s an interesting choice considering how difficult it will be to crack Edmonton’s NHL lineup, but one that he feels comfortable about.

Leppänen says the feedback from coaches through three preseason games has been encouraging.

“It’s definitely a tough lineup to crack, but I think I’ve been playing well and I think there’s a chance,” Leppänen said. “[The coaches] have been pretty positive about it, and they’ve said I’m doing pretty well, moving the puck well.

“I’m used to it, just got to grind it out.”

This is his first time playing on North American ice after years of experience on larger European-sized rinks. Leppänen admits that there is a lot of adjusting he needs to do to play professionally in North America, but so far, he’s been a standout player for the Oilers this preseason.

“I don’t think it’s been that bad, a little bit faster… it took a couple shifts,” Leppänen said. “Forecheck is harder, and they check and hit harder, but just move the puck and the guys you play with are good, so it’s easy to make passes and move it forward.”

It’s a risky bet for both Leppänen and the Oilers, but one that both sides are hoping pays off. No matter what happens, the Finnish defender is happy just to live the dream as a professional hockey player.

“It’s been fun all the time. Playing ice hockey, getting money for it, that’s what you dream of, so it’s not that bad.”