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

[Hostile Offer]

Can't really get any softer than Juolevi is right now, his skating is very average too. Great puck mover though with smarts for both offensive and defensive play. He's going to be an NHLer but needs to get some edge to his game to be a real difference maker.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

What are the "attributes" that you believe are needed to make the NHL Juolevi doesn't possess? He makes smart decisions with and without the puck and is 6'3 200lbs. He's a solid bet to make the NHL, even if he only ends up a #3 d-man.

I drove up to Toronto with my family to see the rookie game against the habs at Ricoh and Liljegren looked so far away from the NHL I didn't think he'd crack the Marlies starting lineup. He's been doing ok so far but still makes questionable decisions with the puck constantly and his adventures into the offensive zone leading to turnovers haven't disappeared since last season. Great skater and a wicked shot but still left wanting more every time I watch.

When I watched Juolevi in London I thought he did everything you'd want in a defenseman, was solid at both ends of the ice, tilted the ice in the knights favour with his breakout passes and clean transition play, and could be used in any and every situation. Only thing I didn't like was his lack of urgency which looks like it's catching up to him now. Still think he's a safer bet to make the NHL than Liljegren from what I've seen of both. The WJC will be a good opportunity to see them head to head if they end up playing each other.

It will be all about Heiskanen and Välimäki but Juolevi was the best defenseman in 2016 WJC as a 17 year old.

 

[DieTomi]

It will be all about Heiskanen and Välimäki but Juolevi was the best defenseman in 2016 WJC as a 17 year old.

That's true, I guess both are more comparable to Timoth being in the same draft. Sweden and Finland look stacked this year. Dahlin, Liljegren, Brannstrom, Andersson, Pettersson / Juolevi, Heiskanen, Valimaki, Tolvanen both look like gold medal winning cores and I'm probably forgetting a few big names.

 

[Halla]

What are the "attributes" that you believe are needed to make the NHL Juolevi doesn't possess? He makes smart decisions with and without the puck and is 6'3 200lbs. He's a solid bet to make the NHL, even if he only ends up a #3 d-man.

I drove up to Toronto with my family to see the rookie game against the habs at Ricoh and Liljegren looked so far away from the NHL I didn't think he'd crack the Marlies starting lineup. He's been doing ok so far but still makes questionable decisions with the puck constantly and his adventures into the offensive zone leading to turnovers haven't disappeared since last season. Great skater and a wicked shot but still left wanting more every time I watch.

When I watched Juolevi in London I thought he did everything you'd want in a defenseman, was solid at both ends of the ice, tilted the ice in the knights favour with his breakout passes and clean transition play, and could be used in any and every situation. Only thing I didn't like was his lack of urgency which looks like it's catching up to him now. Still think he's a safer bet to make the NHL than Liljegren from what I've seen of both. The WJC will be a good opportunity to see them head to head if they end up playing each other.

so his floor is a #3 dman?

It doesn't work like that

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

DieTomi: Sounds like you agree with me on Liljgren. The skills I you and I mentioned skills you and mentioned....skating and shooting are top notch. So is his passing....when not under pressure. It's adapting to the pro game and in his case the smaller ice surface too. He has be better, much better in his decision making when under physical pressure to be a pro.
I thought Juolevi was good enough in London. Maybe because he played with a stacked team, that I didn't see the urgency that you suggest. Other players could take over as Juolevi wasn't the sole player difference maker on the ice. I just question if he can "beat" his NHL man one on one consistently in the NHL. Like Liljgren once he mans up in real strength, then we can real know if their decision making has developed too.
The WJC. Years ago when the Europeans weren't in North America in such great numbers, the WJC was quite a showcase of talent, mostly because you hadn't seen so many of the players competing. Also before the internet and mass sports channels.
I think the WJC has lost some of it's edge because we have seen so many of the players already. Yeah, it can be fun to watch and certainly fun for players, but probably not so important for players evaluation as it once was. To me it's becoming more a traditional event on TV than a great sporting event.
Not too many years ago, the US college Bowl games had great meaning as it determined the final rankings and it pitted different conferences against one another. Now with the playoff system, the games on January 1st don't mean so much, and the unique conferences that have now disappeared due to mergers.

 

[BB88]

I just don't trust Vancouvers offseason programs a whole lot right now. Seems to be affecting their skating.

But for Juolevi(and for me in the case of Juolevi) what's important is how he develops throughout the year and looks at the end of year, and not how he looks today as much.
He had a weak pre season and now it's all about how far can he go this year.

 

[93LEAFS]

What are the "attributes" that you believe are needed to make the NHL Juolevi doesn't possess? He makes smart decisions with and without the puck and is 6'3 200lbs. He's a solid bet to make the NHL, even if he only ends up a #3 d-man.

No players "floor" is a number 3 d-man. Juolevi's floor is probably what he is now which is a decent SM-Liiga defender. Now, him being that is probably unlikely, but young defenders development is so erratic that its hard to call someones floor a number 3 defender. Just look at guys like Cam Barker, Bogosian, Schenn, Gudbranson, Ryan Murray, Griffin Reinhart, Jared Cowan, and Derrick Pouliot. Very few guys floor is that high. Young defenders have significant risk attached, and almost every player drafted outside of the uber-elite talents (such as Crosby, Tavares, Stamkos, McDavid, Eichel, MacKinnon, Doughty, Hedman, Eichel, Matthews, etc) is a non-NHLer. While unlikely, because like how very few people reach their perceived ceiling, very few underperform to the level of their floor.

I liked Juolevi in his draft year, he was smart and composed and used to be good at avoiding the forecheck. I didn't pay as close attention to the Knights last year, but he didn't progress and in some ways seemed to regress last year, and that was backed up when I talked to people who avidly watched the team (a general vibe was Mete was outplaying him).

Good for Juolevi bouncing back and doing well in Finland, although, I would avoid reading too much into the whole "he's producing among the best rates for u-20 Finnish defenders in the last 30 years of the league" simply because how many legitimate number 1's have come out of that league in that time frame? The countries best NHL defenders of all time are Timonen and Numminen, who were good defenders but never really Norris candidates, and the only highly hyped guys based out of there were Aki Berg, Pitkanen, and Risto, all of whom were out of that league by 19 (although Pitkanen did play his 19-year-old season there). Good for Canucks fans that he looks back on track, and is on the verge of putting himself again in the discussion of a top 10 player from 2016.

 

[tuozzi]

Agree on this, I have watched most of his games (a season ticket holder). I don't know how someone could claim he is "clueless" in his own zone.

Well, I did say clueless OR disinterested. In any case, too often he's just stood their while other guys battle for the puck and an opposing forward sneaks up behind him.

Having said that, he has improved some and actually just finished quite a clean game on the D.

 

[member 105785]

I just don't trust Vancouvers offseason programs a whole lot right now. Seems to be affecting their skating.

But for Juolevi(and for me in the case of Juolevi) what's important is how he develops throughout the year and looks at the end of year, and not how he looks today as much.
He had a weak pre season and now it's all about how far can he go this year.

Didn't seem to negatively affect Boeser after concerns over his skating

 

[Breakers]

I just don't trust Vancouvers offseason programs a whole lot right now. Seems to be affecting their skating.

But for Juolevi(and for me in the case of Juolevi) what's important is how he develops throughout the year and looks at the end of year, and not how he looks today as much.
He had a weak pre season and now it's all about how far can he go this year.

Vancouver has the worst off-season training regimen in the league.

 

[bossram]

Vancouver has the worst off-season training regimen in the league.

Agreed. Our prospects offseason training program, in an effort to "bulk up", appears to just make them fat and less mobile. We've seen this multiple times.

 

[Breakers]

Agreed. Our prospects offseason training program, in an effort to "bulk up", appears to just make them fat and less mobile. We've seen this multiple times.

Clearly the guys in the section titled "Human Performance" need to be fired.
Coaches & Staff

 

[BB88]

Didn't seem to negatively affect Boeser after concerns over his skating

Vancouver has the worst off-season training regimen in the league.

McCann, Virtanen, Juolevi, there's a bad trend there, and Boeser didn't play in the NHL in his +2 season, this is a +3 for him.

This year McCann has looked better but I'd say his development took a hit while trying to gain too much too fast.
Sounded awfull lot like the same for Juolevi at the end of season.

NHL is more and more about the speed and winning puck races these days.

 

[Tobi Wan Kenobi]

Yeah Bo and Brock had a bad training regiment... lol..it's up to the f***ing players. You guys don't even know what their programs consisted of. Basically all players use their own trainers in the offseason anyways. Maybe Virtanen, Juoelvi and McCann just had stalled developments because development isn't linear.

 

[BB88]

Yeah Bo and Brock had a bad training regiment... lol..it's up to the ****ing players. You guys don't even know what their programs consisted of. Basically all players use their own trainers in the offseason anyways. Maybe Virtanen, Juoelvi and McCann just had stalled developments because development isn't linear.

You don't think some Gm's have talks with their prospects, especially top prospects on their goals for him for the next season/what they want to see them develop?

I remember reading Benning shutting down Juolevis season to focus on gaining weight/strenght.

 

[CherryToke]

You don't think some Gm's have talks with their prospects, especially top prospects on their goals for him for the next season/what they want to see them develop?

I remember reading Benning shutting down Juolevis season to focus on gaining weight/strenght.

There is definitely a trend of Canucks prospects bulking up with no logic or reasoning other than bulking up. Doesn't seem to be working too great as we've seen several players come in over weight the last few years which hurt their game. I don't think it's a coincidence.

Even Bo looked slow and overweight when he first came up if I recall correctly.

 

[Drew Doubty]

3 assists tonight, 12pts in 14 games.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Juolevi 0+3 +2

 

[BB88]

 

[Zombotron]

...Nice. He's coming alive on the offensive side of things.

 

[GetFocht]

12 points in 14 games in a pro league, I think at the very worst he will be a good top 4 defenceman.

 

[Cquant]

Heiskanen (14GP, 7G, 4A, 11P),
Juolevi (14GP, 5G, 7A, 12P)

Does this mean that Juolevi is still roughly projection like a 5OA pick, i.e. that he is still a legitimate blue chip prospect? Clearly the comparison isn't perfect, seeing as Juolevi is a year older and their possessions stats are completely different. But Juolevi has really turned it around after his disappointing development camp.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Heiskanen (14GP, 7G, 4A, 11P),
Juolevi (14GP, 5G, 7A, 12P)

Does this mean that Juolevi is still roughly projection like a 5OA pick, i.e. that he is still a legitimate blue chip prospect? Clearly the comparison isn't perfect, seeing as Juolevi is a year older and their possessions stats are completely different. But Juolevi has really turned it around after his disappointing development camp.

Of course he is still a blue chip prospect. A guy like him doesn't go lose that status after one a bit disappointing season. And these camps should always be taken with a grain of salt because some players focus hard on off ice training which results to slow starts when they return to the rink.

I recall him being around twenties in the this Summer's HFBoards top 50 prospects voting which was completely fair ranking imo.

 

[BROCK HUGHES]

Of course he is still a blue chip prospect. A guy like him doesn't go lose that status after one a bit disappointing season. And these camps should always be taken with a grain of salt because some players focus hard on off ice training which results to slow starts when they return to the rink.

I recall him being around twenties in the this Summer's HFBoards top 50 prospects voting which was completely fair ranking imo.

Give him this year and next year in Finland.Let him stew a lil bit...he will be great..no rush...

 

[FinPanda]

Not just the points, but everything I hear about him is very encouraging. Sounds like he has taken big steps in a short period of time. Maybe last year in the OHL was a mistake?