OLLI JUOLEVI FREE

He rarely throws away possession, typically opting for a crisp tape-to-tape pass. The never-pressured Juolevi possesses high-end controlled zone exit ability. Furthermore, his fluidity extends to his pivots and turns, keeping him always in the correct defensive position. Although he has some trouble consistently winning battles, and will make the odd puck-handling miscue, his defensive game projects well to the NHL.Ī graceful skater, he reaches top speed in a hurry, allowing to constantly be an offensive option. He follows the puck exceptionally well, enabling him to proactively shut down passing and shooting lanes. His positioning is incredible, always in the right spot to disrupt the puck carrier and getting his stick in the way. Although there were some initial errors with defensive zone coverage and puck tracking, he soon emerged as a consistent presence for the Knights. It was a quick transition to OHL hockey for Juolevi. In the post-season, he followed up an OHL title with a Memorial Cup, where he was the tournament's best defender. Juolevi almost instantly became the Knights' top defender in all situations, and further improved his stock with a fabulous World Junior Championship on Finland's gold-medal-winning team.

Fast forward a season, and there's a good chance Juolevi is the first defender selected on draft day.įollowing in the footsteps of fellow countryman, Olli Maatta, Juolevi headed to the powerhouse London Knights in his draft season. Puck drop is set for 7:00pm PST.Although Olli Juolevi was on the radar, it seemed Jakob Chychrun was the unanimous choice for top defenceman in the 2016 NHL Draft this time last year.

OLLI JUOLEVI FREE

Both blueliners are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer.ĭetroit will also be making an appearance at Rogers Arena on March 17th, so we’ll have to wait and see if Juolevi will make his big return.

Juolevi will join former Canuck Troy Stecher, who is on the final season of his two-year deal that he signed with Detroit back in June 2020. So far, Juulsen has recorded 16 points with the Vancouver organization, including two assists with the main club, while Lammiko has emerged as a strong fourth-line centre, establishing consistent chemistry with Tyler Motte and Matthew Highmore while also adding six goals and six assists to his name. The 23-year-old did manage to suit up for 10 games with the Panthers, but failed to register a single point before being placed on IR, making Benning’s final trade in Vancouver more and more successful. Juolevi was dealt to Florida just under two weeks later in exchange for Juho Lammikko and Noah Juulsen. Olli Juolevi did not have a good time with that bag skate. Things went from bad to worse for Juolevi during the team’s most recent training camp, literally falling victim to the infamous Canuck bag skate. However, health issues aside, it was clear that Juolevi wasn’t able to live up to his first round hype, registering just three points in those appearances while also barely scraping by as a third-pairing defenceman for the Canucks. Juolevi was also greatly impacted during Vancouver’s drastic COVID-19 outbreak last season, apparently losing 10-15 pounds according to former General Manager Jim Benning.ĭespite the outbreak, Juolevi did still manage to play for the Canucks during their condensed season, suiting up for 23 NHL games. Not all the blame can be put on Juolevi, who suffered a string of serious back, hip and knee injuries all before the age of 21 that significantly sidelined him in Utica. Only Auston Matthews has amassed more points so far. Most fans will immediately look to Flames’ forward Matthew Tkachuk, who was selected immediately after Juolevi, but it’s even more painful to see which blueliners were still left on the board, including Mikhail Sergachev, Charlie McAvoy, Jacob Chychrun and Samuel Girard.Īll four of these defencemen have managed to play over 250 games in the NHL, while Tkachuk has already notched 137 goals and 205 assists in 403 games. It also didn’t help to see who was drafted after Juolevi. The Helsinki native did look quite strong with the London Knights prior to being drafted, notching nine goals and 33 assists in 57 games, but found himself on a gradual decline for the next few years when the team could’ve used him the most. Originally drafted fifth overall back in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Juolevi was forced to face a ton of pressure from the passionate fanbase, who were currently in the process of dealing with a full-scale rebuild for their club. Both players on waivers were claimed today: Olli Juolevi (DET), Austin Czarnik (NYI).

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