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

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Cquant said:
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.
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12 points in last 10 games for Juolevi.

It does seem like after his initial struggles, he's managed to adapt and now he's doing really well in the league. But while he has scored better than Heiskanen, he plays for a much stronger team and I still think that Heiskanen's been better overall. Even so, producing at a PPG+ pace in Liiga is extremely impressive for a defenseman. I recall this guy called Brian Rafalski having a pretty good NHL career after going PPG in Liiga as a defenseman.

Perhaps he has his share of defensive struggles but defending as a whole is something you usually develop a bit slower and him showing some offensive prowess is very encouraging also.
 
FinPanda said:
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?
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In retrospect, spending last season in the OHL might have been a mistake. It seems like he didn't really progress there, perhaps stepping up to pros would have been better for him. Looks good now, though.
 
TheFinnishTrap said:
In retrospect, spending last season in the OHL might have been a mistake. It seems like he didn't really progress there, perhaps stepping up to pros would have been better for him. Looks good now, though.
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This is what I believe too. For European player’s development it is in fact clearly better in general to play junior age through in a top European league like KHL, SHL, FEL or NLA. Only if the kid is an absolutely amazing talent with already pretty good maturity for his age, there is any point to really go to North American leagues to play as a junior aged player. Better in general to get your skills and confidence gradually to a very high level in the European leagues, and then finally when you are already a ready made international level top player, it is a good time to go to North America.

Maybe for very special talents like Barkov, Laine, Nylander or Aho there is real point to go already early to North America, but I’m in fact not even sure if it was really the best thing for even their development. Or could it have been that even they would have after all become more skillful and confidently playing players than they are now, if they after all stayed for a couple of more of season to play in Europe. I just really don’t see North American leagues as good for developing top European talents as European top pro leagues are. This is still generally speaking, and might not apply to every European top talent though, as I already mentioned before.
 
Ippenator said:
This is what I believe too. For European player’s development it is in fact clearly better in general to play junior age through in a top European league like KHL, SHL, FEL or NLA. Only if the kid is an absolutely amazing talent with already pretty good maturity for his age, there is any point to really go to North American leagues to play as a junior aged player. Better in general to get your skills and confidence gradually to a very high level in the European leagues, and then finally when you are already a ready made international level top player, it is a good time to go to North America.

Maybe for very special talents like Barkov, Laine, Nylander or Aho there is real point to go already early to North America, but I’m in fact not even sure if it was really the best thing for even their development. Or could it have been that even they would have after all become more skillful and confidently playing players than they are now, if they after all stayed for a couple of more of season to play in Europe. I just really don’t see North American leagues as good for developing top European talents as European top pro leagues are. This is still generally speaking, and might not apply to every European top talent though, as I already mentioned before.
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Naturally there's no "one size fits all"-model for this, but after Granlund's slow adjustment to NA, we have seen more and more Finns jumping straight into the deep end in their d+1 and d+2 seasons, and it seems to be working out for quite a few of them. I think for top-10 talent drafted out of Liiga, it's better to head for AHL or NHL after d+1 season to start adjusting for the NA game and life. Players drafted later probably still have some adjusting to the pro game in general, and they can work on that in Europe.
 
dellzor said:
Let's fire everyone here

https://i.imgur.com/uIIGd3i.png

Each off season our players gain mass but are unable to adapt to their new weight. Remember when Virtanen bulked? (lol)
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Strength and conditioning guys need to go. It's unacceptable.

Virtanen spent all summer "adding strength" and f***ing showed up at camp bulked up to 230lbs and he lost his legs. Couldn't skate worth a damn, conditioning was at a zero.

Tryamkin, spends summer in Vancouver training, f***ing jackass Desjardins scratches him for 10 games because he's "out of shape", doesn't have the conditioning to play. He went from 250~ to 265 that summer.

Juolevi, also spends the summer in Vancouver training. f***ing idiot Benning and whole organization wailing away that he might not reach 200lbs and, as such, won't be "strong" enough to play in the NHL. He bulks the f*** up from 180-185lbs all the way to 200+ in one summer and all of a sudden can't skate anymore either. Looks like ass in pre-season and training camp. Team is baffled. Now he's back in Finland and has probably lost a lot of that weight just from playing and the change in rhythm that the season presents and now he looks good again, probably around 190-195.

Vancouver should have some serious concerns about what their training staff is actually doing with their players and whether it is helping them or not. The prospects aren't the only ones who suffered from it, Jannik Hansen bulked up quite a bit same year Virtanen did and lost his step considerably until after Winter holidays, and there were a number of players who had gained weight coming into camp to less notable effect.
 
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12 pts in his last 10 games since he didn’t get a single point in 1st 4 games. Skating is not one of his weaknesses . Does need to bulk up,
 
Hansen said:
Strength and conditioning guys need to go. It's unacceptable.

Virtanen spent all summer "adding strength" and ****ing showed up at camp bulked up to 230lbs and he lost his legs. Couldn't skate worth a damn, conditioning was at a zero.

Tryamkin, spends summer in Vancouver training, ****ing jackass Desjardins scratches him for 10 games because he's "out of shape", doesn't have the conditioning to play. He went from 250~ to 265 that summer.

Juolevi, also spends the summer in Vancouver training. ****ing idiot Benning and whole organization wailing away that he might not reach 200lbs and, as such, won't be "strong" enough to play in the NHL. He bulks the **** up from 180-185lbs all the way to 200+ in one summer and all of a sudden can't skate anymore either. Looks like ass in pre-season and training camp. Team is baffled. Now he's back in Finland and has probably lost a lot of that weight just from playing and the change in rhythm that the season presents and now he looks good again, probably around 190-195.

Vancouver should have some serious concerns about what their training staff is actually doing with their players and whether it is helping them or not. The prospects aren't the only ones who suffered from it, Jannik Hansen bulked up quite a bit same year Virtanen did and lost his step considerably until after Winter holidays, and there were a number of players who had gained weight coming into camp to less notable effect.
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Don't forget Horfat!
 
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MAGICMAN1963 said:
Give him this year and next year in Finland.Let him stew a lil bit...he will be great..no rush...
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If I were a betting man I'd say him spending next year in the AHL is more likely. Knowing the Canucks though, good chance they throw him in the fire in the NHL too early..
 
wings5 said:
If I were a betting man I'd say him spending next year in the AHL is more likely. Knowing the Canucks though, good chance they throw him in the fire in the NHL too early..
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They actually have a pretty good situation on LD. Both Edler and Del Zotto will be on the last years of their deals next year.
 
Starry Knight said:
In London, his only issue I felt was his compete level. He looked bored by the OHL in his final year here, and I think moving him to the Liiga was absolutely the correct move by Vancouver.
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I'm not sure if it was boredom or the division of the PP and offensive duties in London between Juolevi, Mete, Bouchard and Vande Sompel - but he's really responded with the increased responsibilities in TPS.
 
Today might have been the best game I've ever seen him play. Was an absolute rock on defense and finished with a +3 and 1 assist. His gap control was fantastic, his breakout passes were as clean as ever, and you're really starting to see his improved intensity in the d-zone. Won almost every board battle with ease and his positioning was perfect all night, didn't seem like KooKoo could do anything in the offensive zone when he was on the ice. He's looking much more comfortable at his new weight and is being used in every situation against the opposing teams' top players, I think their coach loves the kid. Such a calm and assuring presence on the back end that you can trust to always make the right play.
 
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thelittlecoon said:
Today might have been the best game I've ever seen him play. Was an absolute rock on defense and finished with a +3 and 1 assist. His gap control was fantastic, his breakout passes were as clean as ever, and you're really starting to see his improved intensity in the d-zone. Won almost every board battle with ease and his positioning was perfect all night, didn't seem like KooKoo could do anything in the offensive zone when he was on the ice. He's looking much more comfortable at his new weight and is being used in every situation against the opposing teams' top players, I think their coach loves the kid. Such a calm and assuring presence on the back end that you can trust to always make the right play.
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I said that everyone should give him time when he was criticized at the start. First time playing against pros and everything... he is adjusting way more earlier than I thought tho. As you said, he was absolutely fantastic today despite only scoring 1 secondary assist. I absolutely love him here already.
 
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Hockeyisl1fe said:
I said that everyone should give him time when he was criticized at the start. First time playing against pros and everything... he is adjusting way more earlier than I though tho. As you said, he was absolutely fantastic today despite only scoring 1 secondary assist. I absolutely love him here already.
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Great to hear
 
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