Finnish international Ilmari Niskanen joined Exeter City from Dundee United in August 2023. Commencing his career with Kuopion Palloseura in Finland he had also played for FC Ingolstadt 04 in Germany and, having won his first cap for Finland in 2020, became City's most-capped player during his time with the club as well as earning the distinction of becoming the first Grecian to appear against England.

Making his debut for Kuopion Palloseura (or KuPS) as a teenager and quickly becoming a regular, he represented Finland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level before making his full international debut and moving to FC Ingolstadt 04 in 2020. Featuring in around half of his new club’s games in a single-season stay, he signed for Dundee United in 2021 and made around sixty appearances in all competitions (including just over thirty league starts) - scoring twice - during his time at Tannadice. Arriving at St James’ Park aged twenty-five, he had won fourteen full international caps for Finland.    

Ilmari made his Exeter debut against Reading in August 2023 and, with him being the club at the same time as fellow Finn Viljami Sinisalo, both players were in international contention starting with their joint-inclusion in a Finland squad for European Championship qualifiers in September 2023 when Ilmari duly won his first cap as an Exeter player against Kazakhstan on 7 September 2023.  

Making 33 league appearances (27 starts) during his first term at St James' Park, he won another five caps for Finland before the end of the season (including one as a late substitute in a European Championship play-off qualifier against Wales in Cardiff) to quickly become the Grecians' most-capped player.  Also enthusuastically contributing off the field, Ilmari was named by the Exeter City Community Trust as a 'PFA in the Community Champion' ahead of signing a contract extension through until the summer of 2026.

Entering his first full season as a City player, Ilmari became the first player from the club to appear in a full international against England when he came on a second-half substitute in the Nations Cup game at Wembley on 10 September 2024.