Canucks: Analyzing Jim Benning’s success at the draft

Olli Juolevi

The Canucks took Olli Juolevi fth overall in 2016.  This was a risky play for the team, drafting needs ahead of BPA (best player available).

Juolevi is the only player from the top 17 picks from the 2016 NHL draft to not play a single game. Sam Steel, drafted 30th by Anaheim; had 21 points in his first 48 career games. There is no sugar coating this pick; it has been a bad one.

He is one of only five players drafted in the first round to not play an NHL game. There is a player drafted in the 6th round that has played 33 games, and that’s Maxim Mamin.

Look, I don’t have anything against Juolevi — and he may come up to the club and prove to everyone that he is an NHL player. But looking back, it’s hard to stomach that the Canucks drafted him ahead of players like Matthew Tkachuk, Clayton Keller, Mikhail Sergachev and Charlie McAvoy.

With 201 points in his first 256 careeer games, Tkachuk fits the mold of what the Canucks have looked for in free agency.

In a redraft scenario, everyone has Juolevi moving down — but it’s by not as much as you would think: The Athletic (subscription required) has him going 23rd overall, DraftSite.com has Juolevi going 16th and The Hockey News has him going 13th. I don’t entirely disagree with those numbers, which is 12 slots lower in value than he was drafted.

But it’s all up in the air at this point, and his injury history is very concerning. Juolevi he has yet to force management’s hand to call him up.