The Vancouver Canucks announced today that prospect defenceman Olli Juolevi has been removed from the Utica Comets’ active roster due to a lower body ailment.
How many setbacks in their development can one young player have?
Ever since the day the Vancouver Canucks drafted Olli Juolevi fifth overall at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft — passing on his London Knights’ teammate Matthew Tkachuk, who found almost immediate success in the NHL as a member of the Calgary Flames — fans have been skeptical of Juolevi’s ability to one day become a full time NHL defenceman.
He’s had numerous injuries that have hindered his development; most notably last year when he was off to a good start with the Utica Comets before being sidelined for the rest of the season by a knee injury after just 18 games played.
In those 18 games last season, Juolevi managed to put up 12 assists and score the first and only goal of his professional career. Now, he’s been hit with another lower body injury after just 14 games with the Comets.
Thankfully, Juolevi’s new injury is unrelated to his past knee injury. Canucks’ general manager said the following in his statement on Juolevi:
"Olli Juolevi was removed from the Utica Comets active roster and will be evaluated by Canucks medical staff in Vancouver. Juolevi has a lower body ailment — unrelated to his recent knee injury. There is no timeline for his return to play. -Jim Benning"
That just doesn’t sound good, and it’s especially concerning to see a young player who was trying to get his mojo back and get his knee fully up to speed go down with yet another injury. It’s worth noting that Juolevi has been playing big minutes on both the Comets’ power play and penalty killing units, so the question must now be asked, is Juolevi’s injury a result of being overplayed?
Regardless, it’s tough to see any player go down with an injury, but it’s especially tough to see a young player who has already had to overcome so much adversity be dealt yet another tough hand. More to come.