Vancouver Canucks prospects: 2018 World Juniors tournament report card

D Olli Juolevi

5GP: 1 Goal + 3 Assists

After finding his game again overseas in the Finnish Liiga, Olli Juolevi had something to prove at this year’s tournament. Though the Finns faltered, he delivered with confidence.

The good

Juolevi’s offensive skills and reads are good. Perhaps better than many of us Canucks fans give him credit. He definitely has more offensive upside than Chris Tanev. By the end of the tournament, Juolevi only trailed Cale Makar, Libor Hajek, and Rasmus Dahlin in tournament point-per-game among all defensemen.

Juolevi was depended on heavily when the game was on the line. As the tournament progressed, it was evident Juolevi’s defensive game was back where it used to be before an off-year last season.

Juolevi was voted one of Finland’s top three players at the tournament. His performance against the Czechs showed that he can elevate his play when the games start to matter the most. He had an impeccable game both defensively and offensively.

The bad

One thing I do notice about Juolevi’s play, in general, is that he misses the net a lot with his shot. Some may be intentionally placed wide or looking for deflection, but as his shot power increases, his accuracy seems to disappear.

The big bad for Juolevi in this tournament is that he failed to score in the shootout to keep Finland’s hopes alive and advance.

Juolevi now returns to the Finnish Liiga, where he has 15 points in 21 games for TPS this season as a rookie.