Canucks assign F Adam Gaudette and D Olli Juolevi to Utica; will place Brendan Gaunce on waivers

With one pre-season game remaining, the Canucks have further reduced their training camp roster with three more cuts today:

Adam Gaudette came into camp with a chance to secure a spot and although he played well in the pre-season, he didn’t play well enough to force himself onto the roster and thus finds his way to Utica. In the long term, this may the best move for the pivot as he heads down to the AHL and can be an offensive catalyst for the Comets. It won’t be surprising to see Gaudette back up with the Canucks at some point this year.

The same thinking applied to Olli Juolevi.

He had good stretches of play during the pre-season but also had some bad reads. He will head down to the farm and look to get back up to speed after recovering from surgery this past summer.

Brendan Gaunce will be placed on waivers tomorrow and if he clears, will be assigned to the AHL. Gaunce always appeared to be the odd man out on this roster and it felt inevitable that he would find his way down to the farm. With the inability to generate any offence and a lack of food speed, Gaunce was passed by players like Brendan Leipsic and Tyler Motte on the depth chart.

He should get a good chance down in Utica to earn his way back when the injuries inevitably hit in Vancouver.

The Utica Comets play a pre-season match against Binghamton tomorrow night and it’s unlikely that Juolevi or Gaudette dress in that contest.

The Canucks have 29 players left at training camp, including the injured Evan McEneny, Antoine Roussel and Wacey Hamilton.