Olli Juolevi

October 2021 – Juolevi, who has struggled to earn a spot in Vancouver, has been dealt to the Florida Panthers. The 23-year-old has had a tough transition into the pro circuit and has yet to live up to his fifth overall (2016) hype. He will look to rekindle his game with a much-needed change of scenery. Dave Hall

January 2021 – Juolevi made the Canucks as the team’s sixth defender, yet it doesn’t appear that the coaching staff has a lot of confidence in playing him real minutes. Through the first four games, the 22-year-old was averaging just north of 10 minutes per contest, but those numbers were slowly decreasing. It led to a healthy scratch in game five while his replacement,  Jalen Chatfield, played a more prominent role and looked good doing so. The bar for the former fifth overall selection is set fairly low these days, but he’ll need to prove to the staff that he’s able to handle regular third-pairing minutes before even considering an elevation up the lineup. Cam Robinson

November 2020 – The 22-year-old was finally able to skate in an NHL contest when he suited up for the Canucks in a summer playoff contest. It has been a long journey for the former fifth overall selection, as he’s battled injury and inconsistency since that 2016 Draft. All indications from management imply the Finnish rearguard will have a spot on the big club when the 2020-21 truncated season finally begins. Vancouver needs him to be a player and will afford him every opportunity to become one. Don’t expect much in the way of points early on. However, as he matures, a ceiling as a second-pairing, second power-play option remains realistic. Cam Robinson

March 2020 – Juolevi finished the Covid-19 shortened AHL season with 25 points in 45 games. He saw his spot on the team’s top power-play unit taken by Brogan Rafferty and with it the per-game counting stats diminished from the small 2018-19 sample. The main concern for Juolevi – outside of staying healthy, is his mobility. The knee injury appears to have a limited his ability to turn and keep up to speedy oncoming forwards. Until that is corrected, the 2016 fifth overall pick will remain outside the NHL lineup. His bust factor continues to grow. Cam Robinson

November 2019 – The post-knee injury recovery was going well for the 21-year-old. Juolevi had recorded five assists in 14 AHL contests while taking minutes on the top pair and top power-play unit. Unfortunately, it was announced on November 16th that the 6’3 defender was suffering from a lower-body injury unrelated to the previous knee ailment and there is no timeline for his return. This is another tough break in a series of them for the former London Knight star. One of just five players from the first round in 2016 to not suit up in an NHL contest (and the only one in the top-17), Juolevi’s stock has continuously dropped since being taken fifth overall. If he can remain healthy, his upside remains that of a second-pairing contributor. At this point though, he’s more of a watch-and-see asset. Cam Robinson

October 2019 – Juolevi skated in his first AHL contest since injuring his knee in late 2018 earlier this week. The 21-year-old recorded an assist in the game and looked poised transitioning the puck with quickness throughout. The Canucks’ depth chart on the left side indicates that the former first-round pick needs one injury to see NHL action. He’ll be the last player selected in the top 17 of 2016 to see ice in the bigs. Cam Robinson

September 2019 – Juolevi continues to rehab from knee surgery that prematurely ended his AHL rookie season. He will not participate in Rookie Camp, and Canucks GM, Jim Benning speculated that he would unlikely participate fully in main camp either. This is fine. The 21-year-old was always going to start the season in Utica. If he’s on track to play games in October down there, then all is well. No need to put him into meaningless camp battles only to have him tweak something and miss more time. His time will come. Cam Robinson

December 2018 – After missing the last few weeks with a knee injury, the Canucks announced that Juolevi had undergone successful surgery and would be out an estimated six months. This is a massive blow to the defender’s developmental arc. He was starting to gain momentum towards an NHL-job and this will surely derail it for some time. The time span should allow him to have a summer’s worth of training to be ready for camp, but he’ll almost assuredly need time in the AHL next season in order to get back up to speed. Juolevi remains a player with top-four upside, but it’s difficult for Canucks’ fans not to look across the Rockies at Matthew Tkachuk and the success he’s having with the Flames and not question the team’s decision to take ‘the other’ London Knight back in 2016. Cam Robinson

November 2018 – The 20-year-old is finally able to suit up in the AHL. Returned to junior in his draft-plus one season and then a trip to the Finnish Liiga for his draft-plus two was the result of the NHL-CHL transfer agreement. It’s more than likely that the former fifth overall selection would’ve been in Utica two seasons ago if it were permitted. He’s there now and he’s making significant strides. Juolevi leads all first-year defenders in points with 11 through 14 contests. He’s seeing top minutes at even-strength and on the power play. It’s exactly what the Canucks wanted. They need him playing heavy minutes and witnessing success. They feel so strongly about that that they didn’t call him up when the team witnessed several blue line injuries, despite being an obvious choice. Juolevi is still prone to being beat wide at times, and make blunders. However, that’s commonplace for 20-year-old defensemen. He was drafted to be a top-pairing player but is likely destined for a second pair and second power-play role. This will mute his offensive upside but he should still bring value. Cam Robinson

June 2018 – The Canucks announced that Juolevi would undergo a lumbar microdiscectomy procedure. The usual recovery period for this surgery is six to eight weeks. This will surely put a damper on his offseason training regiment, but if all goes well, he should be back in the gym by August and ready for training camp. It remains more likely that his North American professional career will begin in Utica of the AHL. Cam Robinson 

March 2018 – Juolevi and his TPS teammates took down SaiPa in the quarter-finals of Liiga action earlier this week. The smooth-skating rearguard had two goals in the six games while seeing games of 20-plus minutes. It has been a successful season for the teenaged rookie defender as he finished his regular season with 19 points (7+12) in 38 games – good enough to be the second most productive U20 defender in the league (behind Miro Heiskanen). It is expected that Juolevi will cross back over this summer and compete for a job with the Canucks but with the depth on the left side, don’t be surprised to see him start the season in Utica. Cam Robinson

January 2018 – Juolevi saved his best for last at the most recent World Junior Championships. The third-year Finnish national team player scored a goal and an assist with eight shots on net in Finland’s quarter-final loss to the Czechs. It was a disappointing finish for the team, but Juolevi was their best player and was named one of the three best Finns as chosen by the coaching staff after recording four points in five games and sitting second in shots on goal for all defenders with 19. The 19-year-old displayed his consistently smart defensive ability while adding heads up offensive plays with his feet, head and hands. It’s the performance many were waiting for on the big stage and should bode well for his confidence as he heads back to the Finnish Liiga to complete his first professional campaign. Cam Robinson

December 2017 – The 19-year-old defender has been invited to Team Finland’s World Junior Training Camp. This was more of a formality, as the two-time participant is a lock to make the club and be leaned on heavily. The Fins will boast one of the most dynamic bluelines at the event and Juolevi will surely see tons of ice in all situations. He’s continued his strong play in the Liiga, posting five goals and 13 points in 18 contests – tied with Miro Heiskanen for the most by any U20 defensive player and fifth-most overall. Cam Robinson

November 2017 – The Canucks’ top defensive prospect is finding his footing in Finland’s top league. The 19-year-old went pointless through his first three contests, seeing no time on the man advantage. That has changed of late, as he’s finding time on both sides of the special team departments and is making his mark on the scoresheet as well. Juolevi is currently on the three-game point streak where he’s scored three goals and five points. The Canucks need Juolevi to be a contributor down the line, so it’s a great sign to see the teenager produce tangible results while also holding steady as a defensive player. Cam Robinson

October 2017 – All signs point to Juolevi being loaned from the London Knights to TPS Turku of the Finnish Liiga. There has been much discussion surrounding the talented defender ending up in a professional league this fall rather than return to junior for a third campaign and it looks like Vancouver was able to convince the Knights to let him go. TPS is currently the top team in the Liiga and boasts strong ties to the Canucks with 2017 draft pick, Petrus Palmu currently sitting third in team scoring and former Canuck blue liner, Sami Salo grooming the defenders as an assistant coach. This should be a great situation for the 19-year-old Fin as he can develop in a strong league and under-experienced guidance. Look for him to play just a single season with TPS before crossing back over and likely ending up in Utica of the AHL for 2018-19. Cam Robinson

September 2017 – Juolevi has had something of an up and down camp and preseason thus far. The Canucks top defensive prospect has looked hesitant at times during both the Young Stars’ prospect tournament and through exhibition play. He’s put on some added weight and that may have cost him a half step. At this point, it appears evident that the two-way defender is not ready for a full-time NHL job so we’ll have to wait and see if the rumours of him going to Finland to suit up with TPS in the Liiga are true or if he is simply returned to the OHL to play a final season with London. Cam Robinson

April 2017 – Juolevi’s second OHL season ended as his London Knights’ squad lost a heartbreaking Game Seven to Erie in the second round of the playoffs. The former fifth-overall pick finished the regular season with 42 points in 58 games and eight points in 14 playoff matches. The smooth-skating and cerebral defender took on a more defensive role with the club as Victor Mete shared top power-play duties with him. With the departure of left-shooting defender Nikita Tryamkin from the Canucks’ lineup, Juolevi will have an increased chance of making the big club next fall but is probably more likely to return to London for a final junior campaign. Cam Robinson

March 2017 – Juolevi has witnessed his offensive production slow in the back half of his second OHL campaign. He’s still being tasked with the majority of tough matchups for the powerhouse Knights but fantasy owners would like to see some more flashes of puck distribution and power-play ability, especially against his own age bracket. There’s a strong chance that the Finnish blueliner returns to London in 2017-18, as the Canucks suddenly have a fairly deep blueline for the former fifth overall selection to crack. Cam Robinson

January 2017 – Juolevi returned from a disappointing world Junior performance looking to start 2017 on a better note. He has done just that by scoring two goals and eight points in eight games for the London Knights. He’s also piled up 23 shots on goal in that span including an 11-shot game back on January 8th. The 2016 fifth overall pick has improved his point-per-game output from his draft season all the while seeing the majority of tough minutes for the once-again-contender Knights. He may never be an elite point producer, but he’s above-average at both ends of the rink. Cam Robinson

January 2017 – The Canucks’ first-round selection last June – and fifth overall, captained the very disappointing Team Finland at the World Junior Hockey Championships to a relegation round finish. The Fins were unable to steadily create offense, and while they brought a young team to the tournament and weren’t expected to truly compete for Gold, they woefully underperformed. Juolevi himself showed glimpses of the elite puck-mover that we saw at the 2016 WJC’s but also moments of some poor decision-making. He was lauded for holding a players-only meeting after a particularly ghastly outing in which the entire coaching staff was fired mid-tournament. Juolevi finished with two assists in six games played. Cam Robinson

December 2016 – Olli Juolevi has left his London Knights’ teammates to once again represent Finland at the WJC tournament. He was a monster for the defending gold medalists last year, posting nine points in seven games and playing huge minutes as a draft-eligible player. Finland will be sending a rather young team this time around, that lacks the star power from the 2016 edition. Expect some growing pains and a difficult road to the medal round, but the Canucks’ first-round selection will be leaned on heavily as the pillar of the back end. Cam Robinson

November 2016 – Juolevi has been quietly going about his business for the London Knights. The efficient defender has been tasked with all the hard assignments and has been handling them quite well. He’s chipped in one goal and eight points in 11 contests with a plus-4 rating. While the OHL doesn’t keep track of time on ice metrics, Juolevi is playing huge minutes for the Dale Hunter-coached squad once again this season. Cam Robinson

October 2016 – The Canucks saw fit to return the 2016 fifth-overall pick to London of the OHL. Juolevi had a quality camp and appears to think the game at the NHL-level already. More physical strength is needed and he will benefit greatly from another season under Dale Hunter and a strong Knights squad. Cam Robinson

September 2016 – The fifth overall pick from this past draft sure looked big out there as he suited up for his first game in the Canucks’ organization Friday at the Young Stars tournament. The Finnish blueliner is so smart and efficient; you cannot forecheck this kid. He skates or passes out of any situation and possesses tantalizing offensive potential. Juolevi is going to make it very hard for Vancouver to send him back to London, but that’s what they’ll inevitably do. Cam Robinson

June 2016 – Vancouver GM Jim Benning pounced after Columbus somewhat surprisingly drafted forward Pierre-Luc Dubois third overall, leaving Edmonton no realistic choice but to snatch Finnish forward Jesse Puljujarvi fourth instead of the blueliner the Oilers need desperately. That allowed Juolevi, the highest-ranked defenseman in the draft, to fall to the Canucks. Vancouver has needs up front, too, but the young Finnish two-way defender might eventually blossom into the first true No. 1 blueliner in franchise history. If he does, it will be due to the maturity and poise Juolevi displayed at the 2016 world junior championship, where he was named a tournament all-star. Mark Allan

February 2016 – Finland will be well represented early in the draft with a pair of elite forwards in Jesse Puljujarvi and Patrick Laine. Juolevi will be the top Finnish defender selected in the draft and is a talented two-way defenceman who can move the puck up the ice, run the power play and is poised and confident defensively. Juolevi has drawn comparisons to former London Knight and fellow Finn Olli Maatta, and like Maatta he is a fluid skater who is always in position, makes sound decisions both with and away from the puck. Juolevi is efficient in creating transition hockey and deploys great stretch passes and equally adept at skating the puck up the ice. Peter Harling

February 2016 – Arguably the best defenseman at the World Junior, Juolevi had a breakout performance and solidified his hold on a top ten ranking for the 2016 draft. He has good size at 6’2”, but doesn’t play the physical game as well as he could; he doesn’t need to. He skates and thinks the game so well, like Niklas Lidstrom he does not need to use body checks to be effective. Juolevi is a very smart player and consistently displays sound decision making choices and is positionally very responsible. He has the confidence and skills to carry the puck up ice and the vision to make breakout passes and run a power play. He will have an impact in the NHL when he arrives. Peter Harling