LD Olli Juolevi - TPS, Liiga (2016, 5th, VAN)

[Blitzago*]

Juolevi will always be somewhat dependent on the forwards infront of him to look good. His best skills are his 4-way mobility, defensive iq, ability to avoid the fore-check and a quick outlet pass. If the forwards can't do anything with those passes, he's not going to look too great. Its why he looks amazing with forwards who are quick in transition (Marner and Puljujarvi) who can take his passes and establish the zone.

That applies to pretty much any D-Man though?

 

[93LEAFS]

That applies to pretty much any D-Man though?

Sort of, but Juolevi is simply extremely good at playing this simple but efficient game. What he does is not that noticeable if it isn't converted, he gives high-end players the chance to create. Juolevi's reads and the difficult in forechecking him is only maximized with players who can then establish the zone.

He's not a guy who will try to use his skill set to take over games with consistent end to end rushes or fancy moves. On a bad team, he isn't going to wow you. He doesn't have that cannon shot, doesn't lay bone-crushing hits and plays fairly conservative. His game is tailor-made for this era of the NHL though. He can quickly avoid checks and make the correct read most of the time. In comparison to someone like Sergachev, Sergachev is much more likely to skate up ice and try to establish the zone himself and is deadlier on the powerplay, which tend to catch the eye more than the style in which Juolevi plays.

 

[BB88]

Hes played really well actually

Yep.
Behind our garbage goalie and offense our defense has actually been good and I'd say better than last year.
But when you have Vehvi in net and forwards who shoot like 15y olds you don't really focus on that part of the team.

I agree that Juolevi is never going to be Karlsson type of defenseman, but he can be an excellent possession driver and a guy who's tough to beat 1on1.

 

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

I think he has tried to rush the puck a few time but each time one of his forwards has gone offside. Also I don't think he trust his defense partner.

 

[McMozesmadness]

I still really like Juolevi, but I think the Nucks will be kicking themselves for who they left on the board.

 

[Canucks LB]

I think his stock stayed the same after the world juniors, he was literally the last problem finland had, had a solid tourney all around.

Tkachuk is gonna be a great player, I think Olli could be one also.

 

[TeddyBare]

Tough tournament for Juolevi, but good opportunity for him to develop some leadership skills

I thought he was decent

lets not forget that Finland as a team only scored 6 goals in 4 games. 1 of those goals came from the D.

And they gave up 8 goals over 4 games

I'd put a huge majority of this loss on coaching and the forwards.

 

[BB88]

I thought he was decent

lets not forget that Finland as a team only scored 6 goals in 4 games. 1 of those goals came from the D.

And they gave up 8 goals over 4 games

I'd put a huge majority of this loss on coaching and the forwards.

Don't forget Vehvi on net.

 

[docbenton]

He may become more of a defense-first puck-moving player like Lindholm or Tanev. Those guys are so valuable in today's game. He's still got some improvements to make but if he can be that type of player and add a bit of offense that's a #1 even if he never scores 50 points.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Great breakout passer

 

[CorgisPer60]

Sure, the Canucks may have left better talent on the board when they drafted last year, but Juolevi was consensus top 2 D in the draft, and who did they have in their pipeline before hitting gold with Tryamkin and Stetcher? Gotta build from the back end out, and along with Demko, Juolevi is another pillar of a prospect.

 

[M2Beezy]

Sure, the Canucks may have left better talent on the board when they drafted last year, but Juolevi was consensus top 2 D in the draft, and who did they have in their pipeline before hitting gold with Tryamkin and Stetcher? Gotta build from the back end out, and along with Demko, Juolevi is another pillar of a prospect.

Its hard to see it that way with how well Tkachuck Keller Nylander and maybe Jost are playing but yeah maybe its something to really build on is OUR backend with like you mentioned. I guess we will be patience to see how he does

 

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

Its hard to see it that way with how well Tkachuck Keller Nylander and maybe Jost are playing but yeah maybe its something to really build on is OUR backend with like you mentioned. I guess we will be patience to see how he does

Keller had had a decent year on stacked team, being way to over hyped by his wjc which in the past has shown to mean very little. In five years the top 2 dman with be worth more than the dime in a dozen wingers.

 

[M2Beezy]

Keller had had a decent year on stacked team, being way to over hyped by his wjc which in the past has shown to mean very little. In five years the top 2 dman with be worth more than the dime in a dozen wingers.

Yeah thats a good point. My prediction is Juolevi and Mcavoy

But tbh im more just optimistic about Juolevi. Mcavoy WILL be a stud i dont see a way around it. Chych has reached his peak already and i dont see Serg hitting his ceiling

 

[Sarcastic]

This is a new low for you in a lifetime of lows. An 18 year old has peaked 6 months after being drafted. Okay.

 

[BB88]

Sure, the Canucks may have left better talent on the board when they drafted last year, but Juolevi was consensus top 2 D in the draft, and who did they have in their pipeline before hitting gold with Tryamkin and Stetcher? Gotta build from the back end out, and along with Demko, Juolevi is another pillar of a prospect.

Yep. You don't outscore a bad defense in the playoffs.

Juolevi- Tanev
Hutton- Stetcher
Tryamkin- Gubranson

Demko is a nice group to build on.

 

[lawrence]

I still really like Juolevi, but I think the Nucks will be kicking themselves for who they left on the board.

nope. Team needed defence far more then another winger. The same could be said for the Oilers.

 

[izzy]

Yeah thats a good point. My prediction is Juolevi and Mcavoy

But tbh im more just optimistic about Juolevi. Mcavoy WILL be a stud i dont see a way around it. Chych has reached his peak already and i dont see Serg hitting his ceiling

He's reached his peak at 18???

 

[Virtanen2Horvat]

The kid will be a two-way Dman IMO. He will probably be similar to Hamhuis like some people have said and he won't be flashy or that exciting to watch, but a safe pick. He will definitely be with Tanev, we just need a franchise Dman or a top Dman free agent.

Juolevi - Tanev
Hutton - Tryamkin
Gudbranson - Stecher

 

[biturbo19]

Sort of, but Juolevi is simply extremely good at playing this simple but efficient game. What he does is not that noticeable if it isn't converted, he gives high-end players the chance to create. Juolevi's reads and the difficult in forechecking him is only maximized with players who can then establish the zone.

He's not a guy who will try to use his skill set to take over games with consistent end to end rushes or fancy moves. On a bad team, he isn't going to wow you. He doesn't have that cannon shot, doesn't lay bone-crushing hits and plays fairly conservative. His game is tailor-made for this era of the NHL though. He can quickly avoid checks and make the correct read most of the time. In comparison to someone like Sergachev, Sergachev is much more likely to skate up ice and try to establish the zone himself and is deadlier on the powerplay, which tend to catch the eye more than the style in which Juolevi plays.

Yeah. I think it's fair to say that the offensive component of Juolevi's game is probably always going to be more "complementary" in nature, and thus more dependent on forwards who can attack effectively in transition.

That's not to be confused with having a "low offensive ceiling" though, per se. If you can put some good forwards who can attack with speed in front of Juolevi...his game is perfectly suited to elevating their play, allowing those forwards to play most of the game on the attack, and picking up plenty of points along the way. There's huge upside in that skillset with today's NHL as a "possession beast puckmover" type. It just means that he's not as well equipped to "do it all himself" offensively.

 

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

Juolevi to me always looks like he wants to rush the puck but never feels confident in his defense partners. Like when he goes in to pinch sometimes he will hesitate so he does not give up a odd man rush ( has no faith in his forwards to cover him). I think with a better structured system in the nhl he could flourish offensively.

 

[Gsus]

I think Juolevi's ceiling is a 40-50pt 2-way Dman. That would make him a #2 or in a really positive outcome (stellar D game) a #1 Dman for his team.

Vancouver does have some nice pieces in D but none of the really strike as a sure future #1. Tanev is told to be one, but I would wait the offence to light up first. Tryamkin, Stecher, Hutton make a pretty good future for them. I think Juolevi will the guy to have steady D and offence. So he could be their future #1, although not the best around the league. He has that 2-way game that could provide them stability and he could earn a letter some day who knows, he seems that type of a guy.

It's not easy to draw ceilings for players, especially for Dmen. When I watched Ristolainen in the FEL, he never struck me as an offensive guy, his highlights were pretty lame. So I thought okay, he's gonna be a defensive guy pretty much. As of now, Ristolainen has lit it up and his offence has been the better part of the game. Not that he's bad on defence but he has really grown into a good offensive guy and is becoming a good 2-way player, a poor mans Shea Weber some would say.

So it's funny how players develop and really anything can happen. Also it's easy to see how the 'Nucks fans and some others underrate Juolevi. The fans mostly due to picking him before Tkachuk or that he doesn't provide enough offence or whatever. But in Juolevi I see a very reliable Dman who's smarts are off the charts. That's something you shouldn't underrate. Tkachuk in your future TOP6 is nice, but Juolevi in your future first pairing is going to be even better, in my honest opinion.

 

[Leon Draisaitl]

I think Juolevi's ceiling is a 40-50pt 2-way Dman. That would make him a #2 or in a really positive outcome (stellar D game) a #1 Dman for his team.

Vancouver does have some nice pieces in D but none of the really strike as a sure future #1. Tanev is told to be one, but I would wait the offence to light up first. Tryamkin, Stecher, Hutton make a pretty good future for them. I think Juolevi will the guy to have steady D and offence. So he could be their future #1, although not the best around the league. He has that 2-way game that could provide them stability and he could earn a letter some day who knows, he seems that type of a guy.

It's not easy to draw ceilings for players, especially for Dmen. When I watched Ristolainen in the FEL, he never struck me as an offensive guy, his highlights were pretty lame. So I thought okay, he's gonna be a defensive guy pretty much. As of now, Ristolainen has lit it up and his offence has been the better part of the game. Not that he's bad on defence but he has really grown into a good offensive guy and is becoming a good 2-way player, a poor mans Shea Weber some would say.

So it's funny how players develop and really anything can happen. Also it's easy to see how the 'Nucks fans and some others underrate Juolevi. The fans mostly due to picking him before Tkachuk or that he doesn't provide enough offence or whatever. But in Juolevi I see a very reliable Dman who's smarts are off the charts. That's something you shouldn't underrate. Tkachuk in your future TOP6 is nice, but Juolevi in your future first pairing is going to be even better, in my honest opinion.

40-50 points would put him 13th to 25th in dmen scoring last year. If he is a 2 way D as well, that's easily a #1 dman...

 

[TT1]

Yea 40-50 point 2 way dman would be considered close to a top 10 dman in the NHL

 

[Raistlin]

Yea 40-50 point 2 way dman would be considered close to a top 10 dman in the NHL

a safe place to expect Juolevi's future is where Hampus Lindholm resides. 30-40 pts 2-way beast. Groom Stecher or Hutton to be the QB and the top 6 is pretty set for the next 5 years. I agree that his game will flourish once he has a familiar system to play in. What he's doing in London lately is very encouraging. IMO, he has a higher ceiling than Hamhuis, who has a ppg season in his +1 year. Cannot wait for next year.