The Vancouver Canucks have drafted Olli Juolevi fifth overall at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Though the Canucks were linked to Pierre-Luc Dubois for much of the day, the Columbus Blue Jackets shook the apple cart by foregoing Puljujarvi in favour of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles product.
Canucks General Manager Jim Benning has been hot on Juolevi’s trails for much of the season, scouting him extensively as his London Knights played their way to the Memorial Cup. This match aligns closely with the Canucks comments of late too, which suggest they had a defenceman in their top six.
Juolevi posted 42 points in 57 games this season for the Knights, playing primarily on their top pairing and both phases of special teams. He’s renowned mostly for his ability to complete an excellent first pass and transition play from his own end with ease. Juolevi might not have the highest ceiling among defencemen in this draft, but his hockey IQ distinguishes himself from the rest of this class and makes him an excellent player at both ends of the ice.
When viewed through the lens of pGPS, 83% of Juolevi’s statistical and stature based comparable players went on to have successful NHL careers. Juolevi was the ninth-ranked prospect in the Nations Network Prospect Profile series, as told by Jeremy Davis.Juolevi is a smooth skating, puck moving defenceman with offensive flair and a penchant for creativity. Though his defensive side is still a bit of a work in progress (and it has improved greatly over the course of the season), his ability to move the puck up the ice, and ,in particular, distribute it in his own zone, in a highly sought after skill set in the NHL.
