Olli Juolevi | #48 | D

[NEON.KNEE]

35 minutes ago, J.R. said:

And probably junior unfortunately. I think he'll need more time, being so comparatively young, to gain more strength. He'd likely be best served in Utica though. 

Thats fine.  I'd rather the Canucks management commit to the knights and let OJ play there.  Another year of Junior is not detrimental to a young players development, especially if it is on a competitive team with a proven track record of quality coaching.

Unless he gets traded to the hitmen, I hope he stays in the CHL

[HomeBrew]

16 minutes ago, NEON.KNEE said:

Thats fine.  I'd rather the Canucks management commit to the knights and let OJ play there.  Another year of Junior is not detrimental to a young players development, especially if it is on a competitive team with a proven track record of quality coaching.

Unless he gets traded to the hitmen, I hope he stays in the CHL

I agree with this as well. I think he is best served to allow to dominate the CHL next year and evolve his game to the next level. I think he needs to start to understand the game where he does more for himself rather than just making good plays to other people and he is less likely to develop this mentality jumping into NHL too soon in my opinion. Many high end defensemen in the NHL have gone this route and has served them well. 

[aGENT]

2 hours ago, NEON.KNEE said:

Thats fine.  I'd rather the Canucks management commit to the knights and let OJ play there.  Another year of Junior is not detrimental to a young players development, especially if it is on a competitive team with a proven track record of quality coaching.

Unless he gets traded to the hitmen, I hope he stays in the CHL

Oh yeah, for sure I'd prefer another year of junior to rushing him to the NHL. AHL would be better though. 

[73 Percent]

55 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Oh yeah, for sure I'd prefer another year of junior to rushing him to the NHL. AHL would be better though. 

I've always thought that this rule hurts some prospects. I understand why the agreement is in place but many times for development purposes prospects are better in the AHL.

[MattJVD]

I wouldn't mind him getting 9 games to start next season before going back to junior, but I agree junior is likely the best place for him.

[NEON.KNEE]

12 minutes ago, MattJVD said:

I wouldn't mind him getting 9 games to start next season before going back to junior, but I agree junior is likely the best place for him.

If WD is still here I would say hell no...In fact I say Hell no because I feel it would hurt the players ahead of OJ.  We all know that he isn't going to stick (I am not being negative, just real), so why disrupt this team's chemistry as well as the London Knights chemistry.  Maybe give him some pre-season, but again, the Canucks priority should be getting the best roster together for the Canucks.  Guys like Subban, Pedan and McEneny are all going to be coming at this roster hard if they give a damn about their careers.

[elvis15]

9 games might be good, but I doubt we have the space to give him a run without having to remove someone else from the roster first. Just like this year, that'd probably mean it's not happening.

[Silky mitts]

Please don't rush him, let him marinate into the stud he can be, I want to see another year of junior and then ahl and if he is dominant there the show

[Phat Fingers]

8 hours ago, HomeBrew said:

Nope. He won't be 20 and he hasn't played 4 seasons of junior that would make him qualify to play in the AHL. So it is either NHL or Juniors for him next year. 

Or a year in Europe. I am sure a pro team in Finland or the SEL would sign Joulevi for a year.  

[Beary Sweet]

He certainly has a shot of having the traditional 9 game tryout to start out the season so he can just get a feel for what it's like to play in the NHL. With Larsen being a UFA and likely to leave for free agency and the possibility of losing Sbisa to Vegas, he will have that opportunity to make a case for himself and make the team. 

[NEON.KNEE]

56 minutes ago, Eastcoast meets Westcoast said:

Or a year in Europe. I am sure a pro team in Finland or the SEL would sign Joulevi for a year.  

I'm pretty sure having played in the CHL voids him of being eligible to play in those pro leagues.  The knights drafted him and hold his rights until he is 20, unless his NHL team keeps him.  This is why Matthews went straight to Switzerland to play, and was never drafted by a CHL team.  Similar to IIHF transfer agreement type legal mumbo jumbo

[saucypass]

1 hour ago, NEON.KNEE said:

I'm pretty sure having played in the CHL voids him of being eligible to play in those pro leagues.  The knights drafted him and hold his rights until he is 20, unless his NHL team keeps him.  This is why Matthews went straight to Switzerland to play, and was never drafted by a CHL team.  Similar to IIHF transfer agreement type legal mumbo jumbo

Didn't Jensen go play in the SHL even though the Generals still held his rights? 

[saucypass]

2 hours ago, Eastcoast meets Westcoast said:

Or a year in Europe. I am sure a pro team in Finland or the SEL would sign Joulevi for a year.  

I think that would be the best idea. He played for Jokerit's youth team back in the day, maybe they'll take him back on their pro team in the KHL next year. Having an SHL or Finnish league team would be great too.

I'm personally just not a big fan of the CHL developing defenseman.

[NEON.KNEE]

9 minutes ago, suitup said:

Didn't Jensen go play in the SHL even though the Generals still held his rights? 

If this is the case, then I am assuming the CHL team would have had to have released him to go play.  Is this something that either London or OJ is interested in?  And how beneficial would it be for OJ to go play on international ice in mist likely a reduced role as opposed to the #1 guy on North American ice where he'll most likely get the juiciest ice time in terms of PP time.

[saucypass]

1 minute ago, NEON.KNEE said:

If this is the case, then I am assuming the CHL team would have had to have released him to go play.  Is this something that either London or OJ is interested in?  And how beneficial would it be for OJ to go play on international ice in mist likely a reduced role as opposed to the #1 guy on North American ice where he'll most likely get the juiciest ice time in terms of PP time.

Yeah I think the Generals were pretty upset that they had lost their second highest (or highest?) leading scorer (they sucked that year anyways).

 

You definitely bring up a lot of really good points, but correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think OJ is really getting all that much PP time as they've been mostly going to Vandesompel and Mete. OJ much like his time during this season's WJC, had his ice time reduced in order to get the least favorable match-ups so he can play in a shutdown role. Looking at the Knight's history of defenseman, Olli Maatta has been their most offensive defenseman to date. The Knights are undeniably one of the best hockey factories arguably ever, but their strength is creating forwards like our very own Horvat. 

 

Another issue with OJ staying in the CHL is for the reason that he's already thinking at a much higher level than all his peers. I forgot which analyst that said it but he mentioned that sometimes OJ thinks the game so high that he sometimes misreads the play. If true, sounds like he should be playing in a league with a more pro styled game so he can continue to develop his hockey IQ rather than having it stunted in the CHL and picking up on bad habits. 

 

Furthermore, one of OJ's biggest weaknesses right now is his physicality. I truly believe he'll benefit from learning how to dodge, absorb, and working out his core when playing in a league like the SHL for example. Look at Nylander, he played in the SHL and how he's been able to adjust to the physicality of the NHL. 

 

I also don' t think that the possibility of getting his ice time significantly reduced should be a problem as teams in those leagues have shown in the past that if you're good enough to play, then they will play you. 

[NEON.KNEE]

1 minute ago, suitup said:

Yeah I think the Generals were pretty upset that they had lost their second highest (or highest?) leading scorer (they sucked that year anyways).

 

Furthermore, one of OJ's biggest weaknesses right now is his physicality. I truly believe he'll benefit from learning how to dodge, absorb, and working out his core when playing in a league like the SHL for example. Look at Nylander, he played in the SHL and how he's been able to adjust to the physicality of the NHL. 

 

I also don' t think that the possibility of getting his ice time significantly reduced should be a problem as teams in those leagues have shown in the past that if you're good enough to play, then they will play you. 

I think Jensen was able to leave because he was an import draft player.  Jake Virtanen had no option to go to Europe.

 

I'm not trying to be combative, but I have to disagree with the SEL being more physical than the CHL, especially because of the larger ice surface which lends itself to a puck possession, and not physical style of hockey.  ANy hardening in Nylander's game came from playing in the AHL...I dunno if you have watched many Leaf's games this year, but whatever offensive upside Nylander brings is seriously hampered by his lack of defensive effort...This is a huge problem for the entire Leaf team, but you won't see that headline on Sportsnet.ca

 

And what good is getting more ice time, in what my mind is not even a better league.  Definetly won't be any more physical than the CHL.  

 

[Phat Fingers]

2 hours ago, NEON.KNEE said:

I'm pretty sure having played in the CHL voids him of being eligible to play in those pro leagues.  The knights drafted him and hold his rights until he is 20, unless his NHL team keeps him.  This is why Matthews went straight to Switzerland to play, and was never drafted by a CHL team.  Similar to IIHF transfer agreement type legal mumbo jumbo

CHL rights only applies to NHL/AHL. Players have gone back, Jansen was one. I am not sure if permission has to be given, but this is were the rights of CHL clubs have in controlling were players play needs to be limited. 

 

It should be about what is best for the player, who risks injury, who is barely compensated, not what's. best for the CHL or junior team. 

[Lancaster]

While the KHL is leaps and bounds higher than any junior squad, but by just glancing the current roster, it seems most of the players there are like mid-20 to into their 30's.  Even though OJ will be back in his home country, it'll be hard for any youngster to be with a club without someone else in the same age group. 

 

He will definitely get used to long-distance travel going to Siberia and back, so it would make his transition in the NHL much easier.  Instead of being a man among boys in the OHL, he'll be a young man among men who are in their prime... much harder level of competition.  It will force him to rely less on his strength/speed and more on positioning and technique. 

 

 

[elvis15]

4 hours ago, NEON.KNEE said:

I think Jensen was able to leave because he was an import draft player.  Jake Virtanen had no option to go to Europe.

...

There was an agreement with overseas teams that they had to pay a fee to allow a CHL player to go overseas and play. That agreement actually expired the year they got Jensen to play with Ajax (and Grenier going over to play in the Swiss league as well) so Ajax didn't have to pay Oshawa to bring Jensen in. I have no idea if that agreement has been renewed now, but considering we don't see it there must be something that generally prevents it from happening more often.

[saucypass]

6 hours ago, NEON.KNEE said:

I think Jensen was able to leave because he was an import draft player.  Jake Virtanen had no option to go to Europe.

 

I'm not trying to be combative, but I have to disagree with the SEL being more physical than the CHL, especially because of the larger ice surface which lends itself to a puck possession, and not physical style of hockey.  ANy hardening in Nylander's game came from playing in the AHL...I dunno if you have watched many Leaf's games this year, but whatever offensive upside Nylander brings is seriously hampered by his lack of defensive effort...This is a huge problem for the entire Leaf team, but you won't see that headline on Sportsnet.ca

 

And what good is getting more ice time, in what my mind is not even a better league.  Definetly won't be any more physical than the CHL.  

 

I'm pretty sure Jensen was drafted straight out of the OHL. Same with Juolevi, neither like A. Nylander where he was a straight up loan. 

 

Yep, I've seen Leafs game this year and I agree with you about their defensive structure but let's not get carried away and focus on the individual's ability to come in and compete with the vigor of the NHL's physicality. 

 

I get where you're coming from, but when you're playing on larger ice, all it does is that it gives you more time to make decisions with the puck. Players still finish their checks, and it's not like there's no hitting in there. I think this gives OJ a chance to dealing with grown men coming at him on a larger ice for a year and then transition into the AHL where all he needs to do is get the timing right due to smaller ice. With hockey IQ and decision making being one of his strongest assets, I don't think he'll have trouble transitioning. 

 

Playing for Jokerit in the KHL is most definitely a better league. Playing for any SHL or Liiga team is a better league than the CHL. I don't really see how that is even disputed to be honest. 

 

Personally I just think with competitors being stronger, faster, and better, I think OJ can only improve playing against them. Plus the larger ice would most likely fit OJ's game better as there is way more fluidity on European ice. This will give him more confidence in improving his strengths in a setting where he has to work on his weaknesses, whereas in junior it feels like all he's being trusted to do is constantly shutdown other forwards. It just feels like his offnesive game is being seriously hampered, while his ability to handle stronger opponents don't improve at all.