A product of Kuopio, Finland, Niemelainen is a big, reliable defenceman with an interesting edge to his game. The Oilers drafted him in the third round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, and he has done a lot to further develop his game.
In his pre-draft year with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, Niemelainen finished with a goal and 27 points through 65 games but was a minus-23. This past season, he only recorded three goals and nine points through 59 games, he finished as a minus-5 and looked much more stable on the backend. Still, he appeared to struggle and decided he would not return for a third year with the Spirit ahead of the 2017 CHL draft.