Olli Juolevi | #48 | D

[canucklehead44]

It might be better to bring Juolevi up and rotate him in and out with Benn and keep him to bottom pairing minutes. I think he has enough experience but going back to the AHL playing 25 minutes and killing penalites, blocking shots, might not be the best when his health is his biggest downfall. 

I like Rafferty but we are still missing one more option on the right side. Hainsey, Ruuta, Green could be cheap veteran options. Vatanen or Hamonic would be idea but we don't have the space. 

If I were to pick a guy Vatanen would be my first choice or move Sutter for Colin Miller if possible. 

[wloutet]

1 hour ago, wildcam said:

Futures exciting with D man coming up, Juolevi, Rathbone, Rafferty and Briesbois....Rathbone will also turn heads very soon.

It seems that at one time Woo would have been included on the list you've got there. What has happened to him, why is he sort of out of the picture now?

[-AJ-]

2 hours ago, canucklehead44 said:

It might be better to bring Juolevi up and rotate him in and out with Benn and keep him to bottom pairing minutes. I think he has enough experience but going back to the AHL playing 25 minutes and killing penalites, blocking shots, might not be the best when his health is his biggest downfall. 

I like Rafferty but we are still missing one more option on the right side. Hainsey, Ruuta, Green could be cheap veteran options. Vatanen or Hamonic would be idea but we don't have the space. 

If I were to pick a guy Vatanen would be my first choice or move Sutter for Colin Miller if possible. 

I think our bottom pairing is likely Benn and Juolevi with Rafferty as the #7, unless the Canucks feel Utica badly needs Rafferty.

[canucklehead44]

9 minutes ago, -AJ- said:

I think our bottom pairing is likely Benn and Juolevi with Rafferty as the #7, unless the Canucks feel Utica badly needs Rafferty.

For sure, I could see that. The only hesitation is bringing in two dmen at the same time without any experience. Also if the AHL doesn't pick-up again I wonder what happens? I could see us picking up a cheap option and then bringing Rafferty in when an injury hits. Ideally he plays less than 40 games so he is protected at the draft lottery. 

[-AJ-]

31 minutes ago, canucklehead44 said:

For sure, I could see that. The only hesitation is bringing in two dmen at the same time without any experience. Also if the AHL doesn't pick-up again I wonder what happens? I could see us picking up a cheap option and then bringing Rafferty in when an injury hits. Ideally he plays less than 40 games so he is protected at the draft lottery. 

Yeah, I think it's fairly unlikely that Rafferty is a regular on the team, though I suppose injuries are likely to happen. It is definitely risky, given that Juolevi's entire NHL experience is one playoff game and Rafferty's is two regular season games a year ago.

[Dazzle]

On 10/19/2020 at 11:32 AM, Fred65 said:

I read this recent artical which mad some good comments

 

At even strength, Cull and his coaching staff often had Juolevi deployed alongside Ashton Sautner, one of the Comets’ most reliable and rugged blue-liners, facing down the opposition’s top forwards.

 

My question is why did we draft this kid

 

 

 

From all accounts, Juolevi has improved tremendously. His poor skating was him returning recently from injury. He showcased himself quite well for one game in the playoffs (about 6 minutes or so, so very limited time). Now that he has a full amount of time for recovery, we can really see what Juolevi can really do.

[Fred65]

6 minutes ago, Dazzle said:

From all accounts, Juolevi has improved tremendously. His poor skating was him returning recently from injury. He showcased himself quite well for one game in the playoffs (about 6 minutes or so, so very limited time). Now that he has a full amount of time for recovery, we can really see what Juolevi can really do.

When he was drafted I recall one of the Hunter brother stated he should make a second pairing D. Kind of pricks your ears up. A  5th O/A pick should make a second line pairing. I know about his injuries, fans remind us continually but I tend to give more weight to his junior coach than the fans. I hope for the best but IMO it's not guranteed

[Dazzle]

Just now, Fred65 said:

When he was drafted I recall one of the Hunter brother stated he should make a second pairing D. Kind of pricks your ears up. A  5th O/A pick should make a second line pairing. I know about his injuries, fans remind us continually but I tend to give more weight to his junior coach than the fans. I hope for the best but IMO it's not guranteed

Not guaranteed, no, but Juolevi has always been highly touted. All this talk about him being a 'bust' was premature. He's only 22, and unless he continues to have injuries, he can still play at a very high level.

Edited November 11, 2020 by Dazzle

[MrCanuck94]

7 hours ago, wildcam said:

Great post he was ranked best D man of that draft ? He has had bad luck back issues training at 19, then Knee injury that happened t 20 years old in October after 17 games.. Comes Back at age 21 knee issues at start of season and then he was fine..Mini training camp in July he was very good made the team for playoffs and coach was impressed...I still see a #4 D man only 22 years old 6'2 great vision with bright future..Next season whenever it starts he will be #6 guy and move up with confidence now.... Futures exciting with D man coming up, Juolevi, Rathbone, Rafferty and Briesbois....Rathbone will also turn heads very soon....

As I recall, he was considered the best 2 way dman in the draft, but not the one with the highest ceiling. He was always considered the safest pick to play 15 years in the league by many.

 

Injuries are unfortunate.

[wildcam]

8 hours ago, wloutet said:

It seems that at one time Woo would have been included on the list you've got there. What has happened to him, why is he sort of out of the picture now?

He is not out of picture but he just turned 20 and is 2 to 3  years away needs to develop..

1.Juolevi 22  2. Rafferty 25  3. Rathbone 22  4. Briesbois 23   5. Woo just turned 20 in August

Edited November 12, 2020 by wildcam

[-AJ-]

8 hours ago, wloutet said:

It seems that at one time Woo would have been included on the list you've got there. What has happened to him, why is he sort of out of the picture now?

Woo had a really underwhelming 2019-20 season with Calgary. I think most would've expected a 19-year old (his age during the season) like him to rip it up in juniors and although he was good, he was actually better in 2018-19. He's not out of the picture, but if he doesn't take a big step forward next year with either a very strong year in juniors or a decent stint with Utica (assuming the AHL has a season), I think he's going to start falling off the radar.

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

3 hours ago, -AJ- said:

Woo had a really underwhelming 2019-20 season with Calgary. I think most would've expected a 19-year old (his age during the season) like him to rip it up in juniors and although he was good, he was actually better in 2018-19. He's not out of the picture, but if he doesn't take a big step forward next year with either a very strong year in juniors or a decent stint with Utica (assuming the AHL has a season), I think he's going to start falling off the radar.

I would have to disagree with that statement.

 

People are quick to look at the offensive stat sheet and say Woo took a step back but it was expected considering Jett was used far more as a defensive shutdown dman.  The year previous he was used as the number one PP dman in Moose Jaw when Josh Brooks turned pro, so he saw an elevated offensive role, while also seeing prime offensive zone starts.  This year for Calgary, the Hitman used Egor Zamula as their number one defense quarterback on the powerplay so he saw all the prime time minutes offensively while Woo quietly became Calgary's best Dman.

 

He was even named their best dman and IMO, I watched the games Woo played in Vancouver against the Giants, and he was a difference maker in both games.

 

https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/ben-kuzma-is-there-a-budding-bieksa-in-canucks-prospect-jett-woo?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1594935506

 

Quote

Woo was forced to play better on a veteran-laden Hitmen club that was prepped for a long postseason run after compiling a 35-24-4-1 record when the season was cancelled by the novel coronavirus outbreak. It had a lot to do with Woo’s production slipping — 46 points (7-39) in 64 games — but he thought his game grew because of the competitive environment.

 

Woo had an 11-game point streak in February and 88 penalty minutes and was buoyed by higher demands from the coaching staff.

And his vision should improve because he had laser-eye surgery in June.

 

“It was more of a team game in Calgary and trying to get everyone involved and ready for that playoff run,” said Woo. “It was an eye opener for me, just to be with a new team and see how everything works in going to a first-class organization.

https://theprovince.com/sports/canucks-top-10-prospects-jett-woo-has-a-neat-name-but-does-blueliner-have-complete-game?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1600988997

 

Quote

A big reason for the shift was a decline in power-play points. Woo’s even-strength production remained the same but he also put up six short-handed assists in 2018-19, something he didn’t repeat in 2019-20

https://thecanuckway.com/2020/06/16/canucks-deep-dive-jett-woo/

Quote

Playing with the Hitmen, Woo also had more of a defensive role, and he didn’t pinch down as far as compared to when he was with Moose Jaw. While the assist numbers were similar to previous years, the biggest difference between this year and last year in terms of point production came on the power play.

Quote

 

There were a few things that Woo improved on this year. One was his vision to find teammates, especially with cross-seam passes in the offensive zone and being able to make the first past out of the defensive end. Another was his speed and acceleration up and down the ice; he was able to push past players if there but also able to hold opponents down going through the neutral zone. Like every other year, Woo’s best skill set was his physical one.

 

While Woo does a lot of things well, there are still some things he can work on. The thing I noticed the most about Woo is he watches the puck when he’s in front of his net and will sometimes lose track of his defensive assignment.

 

He still needs to work on clearing the puck better when being pressured by forecheckers. And while this year he had his highest shot total on the net, he still tends to shoot wide or it gets blocked in front. Accuracy improvement is a must.

 

People really got wayyyy too excited when Woo had his 66 point season, frankly people created unfair expectations.  Woo was always projected to be a stay at home dman, who skated well, and could transition the puck up ice adequately.  He was never touted to be a point producing dman.  Again I find a lot of fans are guilty at going on hockey db and looking at the stat line and making their judgements based on that without fully looking at the context of it.

 

If you had placed Woo on the top PP unit that starred a stacked veteran line of Carson Focht, Mark Kastelic, Riley Stotts, and Orca Wiesblatt, Woo would've easily picked up those 14 secondary assists on the PP and would've been on pace to match last years numbers had the pandemic not derailed likely his final season in the WHL.

 

IMO, Woo played very well this year and grew his game to be a well-rounded dman, still needs to take steps, but would not even come close to thinking he had a bad year.

[-AJ-]

1 minute ago, CRAZY_4_NAZZY said:

I would have to disagree with that statement.

 

People are quick to look at the offensive stat sheet and say Woo took a step back but it was expected considering Jett was used far more as a defensive shutdown dman.  The year previous he was used as the number one PP dman in Moose Jaw when Josh Brooks turned pro, so he saw an elevated offensive role, while also seeing prime offensive zone starts.  This year for Calgary, the Hitman used Egor Zamula as their number one defense quarterback on the powerplay so he saw all the prime time minutes offensively while Woo quietly became Calgary's best Dman.

 

He was even named their best dman and IMO, I watched the games Woo played in Vancouver against the Giants, and he was a difference maker in both games.

 

https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/ben-kuzma-is-there-a-budding-bieksa-in-canucks-prospect-jett-woo?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1594935506

 

https://theprovince.com/sports/canucks-top-10-prospects-jett-woo-has-a-neat-name-but-does-blueliner-have-complete-game?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1600988997

 

https://thecanuckway.com/2020/06/16/canucks-deep-dive-jett-woo/

People really got wayyyy too excited when Woo had his 66 point season, frankly people created unfair expectations.  Woo was always projected to be a stay at home dman, who skated well, and could transition the puck up ice adequately.  He was never touted to be a point producing dman.  Again I find a lot of fans are guilty at going on hockey db and looking at the stat line and making their judgements based on that without fully looking at the context of it.

 

If you had placed Woo on the top PP unit that starred a stacked veteran line of Carson Focht, Mark Kastelic, Riley Stotts, and Orca Wiesblatt, Woo would've easily picked up those 14 secondary assists on the PP and would've been on pace to match last years numbers had the pandemic not derailed likely his final season in the WHL.

 

IMO, Woo played very well this year and grew his game to be a well-rounded dman, still needs to take steps, but would not even come close to thinking he had a bad year.

Clearly you're more researched than I am. I'm not surprised he was voted the top defenseman--he was still good, even offensively. But yes, you guessed right in that I only looked at basic stats and came to conclusions based on those. Fortunately, we have coaches and scouts who look closer than I do.

[Junkyard Dog]

Greener was pretty happy with his camp and even gave him his first NHL game in the playoffs.

 

Granted can't expect a coach to play a rookie much given the circumstances.

 

Nevertheless Greener wouldn't of said those things and given OJ that game if he didn't like him.

 

Hoping all this time off really helps OJ and Boeser for that matter too if his past injuries nagged on him.

[theo5789]

19 hours ago, Fred65 said:

When he was drafted I recall one of the Hunter brother stated he should make a second pairing D. Kind of pricks your ears up. A  5th O/A pick should make a second line pairing. I know about his injuries, fans remind us continually but I tend to give more weight to his junior coach than the fans. I hope for the best but IMO it's not guranteed

Do you know where you heard this or have a link? Seems odd that they would say that about him given that he was playing big minutes for London. Perhaps what he said was he should be at least a 2nd pairing dman meaning his floor is high. Context matters and selective memory is a dangerous thing.

[GoldenAlien]

From Murphy's Mailbag:

Question: When camp does eventually start are there any names we should keep an eye out for to make the jump this year?

 

Murph: The only guy I feel confident saying will be on the team once the season starts is Olli Juolevi. Management believes he’s ready for the next step, and he’s pretty much a lock to make it from my understanding.

One of Jack Rathbone, Brogan Rafferty or Jalen Chatfield is likely to make the team as well. And there is a good chance that one of (or both) Podkolzin or Hoglander will see some games once their respective seasons are done overseas.

[GoldenAlien]

On 11/11/2020 at 5:26 PM, Fred65 said:

When he was drafted I recall one of the Hunter brother stated he should make a second pairing D. Kind of pricks your ears up. A  5th O/A pick should make a second line pairing. I know about his injuries, fans remind us continually but I tend to give more weight to his junior coach than the fans. I hope for the best but IMO it's not guranteed

 

On 11/12/2020 at 1:05 PM, theo5789 said:

Do you know where you heard this or have a link? Seems odd that they would say that about him given that he was playing big minutes for London. Perhaps what he said was he should be at least a 2nd pairing dman meaning his floor is high. Context matters and selective memory is a dangerous thing.

From what I remember Dale Hunter was quite complementary about Juolevi.  From after the draft:

https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/hes-a-winner/c-888591

 

Some highlights:

“He is a puck moving defenceman and that is what everybody is looking for,” said Hunter. “He has a good transition game and breaks out of his own zone cleanly. He is a great passer and there is no fear to his game. He is one of those defenceman that forwards love to have back there passing them the puck.”

 

“He’s a winner. He wants to win,” said Hunter. “One thing I like about him is that during the Memorial Cup it was a 1-1 game and he goes out and blocks a big shot. He went down on one knee, had perfect timing and made a heck of a block. That’s what you like and that’s why coaches like these type of players. He moves the puck well and all that, but at the same time he will block a shot and save you a goal.”

 

“He is a great team guy,” said Hunter. “The players on the team all love him. Vancouver has a player that will be around for a long time.”

 

Anyhow, I don't think "second pairing" should automatically raise alarm. There were nine defensemen drafted at #5 from 1996 to 2016:

 

1996 - Richard Jackman: 231 GP, 77pts

1997 - Eric Brewer: 1009 GP, 271 pts

1998 - Vitaly Vishnevsky: 552 GP, 68 pts

2002 - Ryan Whitney: 481 GP, 259 pts

2007 - Karl Alzner: 686 GP, 130 pts

2008 - Luke Schenn: 759 GP, 148 pts

2012 - Morgan Reilly: 517 GP, 270 pts

2015 - Noah Hanifin: 389 GP, 138 pts

2016 - Olli Juolevi

 

Since 2016, one defenseman was picked at #5, which was Jake Sanderson this year. The only defenseman out of the previous nine who's clearly a top pairing guy is Reilly -- and he mostly likely wouldn't have been available at #5 had he not missed most of his draft year with a torn ACL. Most others are solid second pairing guys. There are only 62 top pairing defensemen in the league, and a good chunk of those 62 are second pairing guys playing top pairing minutes because their teams don't have anyone better. The vast majority of defensive prospects, regardless of their draft position, don't turn out to be franchise cornerstones. We got lucky with Pettersson and Hughes. Draft picks in the #5-7 range don't routinely become superstars. If Juolevi becomes a second pairing D who plays 10 years, there is absolutely nothing disappointing about that.

Edited November 14, 2020 by GoldenAlien

[MrCanuck94]

As mentioned, during the draft I'm pretty sure Benning mentioned he didn't see a clear cut #1 d man in this draft but saw some with top pair potential.

 

I could be wrong, but Juolevi was considered the safe pick to be a 2/3 dman for a long time.

 

He's still one of my favourite prospects and I hope he stays healthy and can push his potential.

[Coconuts]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/finally-healthy-canucks-olli-juolevi-ready-prove-belongs-nhl/

 

 

[JM_]

42 minutes ago, Coconuts said:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/finally-healthy-canucks-olli-juolevi-ready-prove-belongs-nhl/

 

 

good article, I really like his confidence level.