Vancouver Canucks mailbag: 2018 draft, Juolevi’s future, DiPietro

In our latest Vancouver Canucks mailbag, we answer your questions about prospects such as Olli Juolevi and Michael DiPietro, plus other inquiries about the 2018 NHL draft.

The Vancouver Canucks have a very interesting next few months ahead of them, as general manager Jim Benning and president Trevor Linden must make some key decisions on their prospects.

Vancouver also owns the seventh pick in this year’s NHL draft, and while many believe they’ll take a defenceman, some are hoping Benning will land a talented forward like Oliver Wahlstrom. And in the meantime, just what will happen with 2016 first-rounder, Olli Juolevi?

We answer your latest questions in this edition of the Vancouver Canucks mailbag. Thank you to all of those who participated! Now, let’s get to it.

Great question, Scott. This is a good problem for the Canucks organization to have: Too many goalies. But I’ll cut to the point and say that I expect Thatcher Demko to be in the NHL next season, which means buying out or trading Anders Nilsson. The latter got off to a strong start but faltered entirely from December to the end of the season.

Demko has nothing left to prove in the AHL and is this team’s goalie of the future. Expect him to be Jacob Markstrom‘s backup to start out 2018-19. Maybe he becomes starter later on.

Related Story: Vancouver Canucks: Thatcher Demko feels NHL-ready

With that, I expect Richard Bachman and Michael Garteig to make up the crease for the Utica Comets next season. Yes, Michael DiPietro was just named the OHL’s top goalie, but he turns just 19 years of age next month. There is no reason to rush him into the AHL right now.

Expect DiPietro to spend at least one more year in the OHL, while Bachman and Garteig take care of the crease in Utica. Demko is too good to spend another year in the minors, considering how he couldn’t possibly look more ready for the NHL.

I like both of these questions, Chase, and I refused to only pick one. Let’s tie the two in together.

I’m expecting Hughes to be take within the top-five. Rasmus Dahlin is obviously going first overall, then I project Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina to fall to the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens at second and third, respectively.

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After that, I believe the Ottawa Senators go for an organizational need and select Brady Tkachuk with the fourth pick. Then, the Arizona Coyotes will land Hughes with the fifth choice.

The idea of him and Oliver Ekman-Larsson pairing up together is all too intriguing, and the Desert Dogs can’t pass on that opportunity.

That means if my calculations are correct, Benning would have to trade up if he wanted to land Hughes.

I just don’t see how Hughes falls to the Canucks at seventh. If he’s not taken in the top-five, the Detroit Red Wings will certainly want him with the sixth choice. But if Hughes is available at number seven? Then the Canucks have to take him over Wahlstrom.

Even if the Canucks had the second or third pick, I’d hope Benning would trade it and move down so he can get a blueliner. Yes, the likes of Zadina, Svechnikov, Tkachuk and Wahlstrom are all intriguing scorers. But do you see a future No. 1 defenceman on the Canucks right now? I don’t. It has to be a blueliner with the seventh choice.

The Canucks figure to have a bunch of young talent in the lineup next year. Adam Gaudette and Thatcher Demko are hopefully here to stay long-term. But can the same be said about Olli Juolevi? He’ll have to “wow” the team in training camp if he wants to make the NHL this upcoming season.

But seeing how often he struggled in Finland, I think Juolevi needs to start 2018-19 in Utica. If he impresses early, maybe the Canucks can think about calling him up. But I’d be surprised if he started next season in the NHL.

Next: Canucks: Using the Chicago Blackhawks to help the rebuild

Many fans are frustrated with Juolevi’s slow development, but it takes a while for blueliners to get going. The Canucks need to be patient with Juolevi, which is why it makes the most sense to have him start out in Utica before he goes to the NHL.