Marjala makes mark in return

TPS centerman Viljami Marjala made his Liiga season debut Wednesday, netting an assist on the game-tying goal and sealing the affair with the shootout winner as TPS squeezed past HPK 6-5.

Marjala, who was injured in the final week of August in a preseason game against Assat, returned to practice in full on Tuesday looking to guide his TPS squad back onto the rails after the club earned just one regulation win and one shootout victory in his its first six games.

I originally had circled the back-to-back set with Assat later this week as his potential return dates, but Marjala, who was given the all clear from the TPS training staff following Tuesday’s practice, jumped right into the mix, skating for 21:58 in the victory.

The strength training Marjala did over the summer was apparent from the get-go. He looked and played bigger. He displayed a more explosive skating stride. He showed confidence and control in tight spaces and regularly took the middle of the ice due to his improved strength over the puck.

With TPS trailing 5-4 with just under under four minutes remaining in regulation, Marjala showed his confidence with a nice left-side zone entry before kicking the puck back to the point that set up the game-tying goal.

Marjala is always a threat with more to ice to work with. He nearly connected for a goal on the first shift of the three-on-three overtime period when he glided into the high slot and launched a wrist shot the deflected off a defender’s stick and pinged the crossbar.

After the scoreless overtime, Marjala used his impressive handle and reach to execute a deft move for the only goal of the shootout as TPS picked up their third victory of the year.

It appears that the Sabres have not yet had in-depth contract talks with Marjala, but make no mistake. Marjala might be the most under-the-radar forward prospect the Sabres have. His playmaking ability could provide a compelling layer of organizational depth in Rochester in 2025-26. At the very least, he’d be a nice sweetener in any deal that Kevyn Adams looks to make this season as the Sabres look to “win now” in the Lindy Ruff 2.0 era.