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Canucks Sign Defenceman Olli Juolevi to Three-Year Entry Level Contract

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Olli Juolevi

VancouverCanucksCANUCKS BANTER   By Andrew Chernoff   August 6, 2016

Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Canucks General Manager Jim Benning announced Friday by press release, that the club signed defenceman Olli Juolevi to a three-year entry level contract.

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“Olli is a talented all-around defenceman with high hockey sense who will be a big part of our organization’s future,” said Jim Benning.

“He’s had an outstanding year, winning the Memorial Cup and World Junior gold. We look forward to seeing him continue his development and compete at the NHL level during training camp in September.”

Juolevi a well-rounded blueliner:

A competitive spark-plug, Olli Juolevi is a complete, all-around defenceman who can hem the opposition in their own end or make things difficult for the opposition at home; either way, he puts the pressure on and lays it on thick. A strong and balanced skater, he can rush the puck through the neutral zone with ease or backcheck with haste. Uses his size to his advantage, but knows his physical limits and plays within them. Instead of playing overly physical, he makes his presence felt by exhibiting his high-end playmaking ability and puck possession play. All-in-all, a well-rounded blueliner who thrives under pressure and can be trusted in all situations. (Curtis Joe, EP 2016)

Source: http://www.eliteprospects.com/

Juolevi, 18, finished third among Ontario Hockey League rookie defencemen in scoring in 2015.16, registering 42 points (9-33-42) in 57 games for the London Knights.

Skating in his first full season in North America, the 6-2, 182-pound defenceman also earned OHL Second All-Rookie Team and OHL Third All-Star Team honours.

During the 2016 playoffs, Juolevi registered 14 points in 18 games to help the Knights capture the OHL Championship. Named to the tournament All-Star Team, he then added seven points in four games to help the Knights capture their second Memorial Cup.

Prior to joining London, Juolevi appeared in 44 games in 2014.15 with Jokerit’s junior squad in Finland, registering 32 points (6-26-32). He was also named the league’s Best Defenceman, Rookie of the Year and selected to the First All-Star Team.

On the international stage, the Helsinki, Finland, native helped his country capture gold at the 2016 World Junior Championship where he led all defencemen with nine assists (0-9-9) and was named to the tournament All-Star Team.

Canucks Sign Free Agent Forward Mike Zalewski To One Year, Two Way Contract

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VancouverCanucksCANUCKS BANTER     By Andrew Chernoff    July 12, 2016

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The Vancouver Canucks signed forward Mike Zalewski to a one year, two way contract on July 11.

Zalewski will receive a pay out $632,000 at the NHL level and $100,000 at the AHL level, according to generalfanager.com

With the Canucks affiliate Utica Comets in 2015-16, Zalewski played in 58 games, scoring 16 goals, registering 17 assists for 33 points with 46 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +14.

He attended the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he played two seasons (2012–14) of NCAA Division I hockey with the RPI Engineers, registering 21 goals, 26 assists, 47 points, and 75 penalty minutes in 71 games.

On March 14, 2014, the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL signed Zalewski as a free agent to an entry-level contract. On April 12, 2014, Zalewski made his NHL debut skating 11:47 with the Vancouver Canucks in a 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

On July 8, 2015, with Zalewski unable to retain an NHL contract with the Canucks, he opted to remain within the organization by signing a one-year AHL contract with the Utica Comets, an affiliate.

On January 20, 2016, Zalewski signed a two-way, one year NHL contract with the Vancouver Canucks and subsequently was recalled the same day.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Zalewski

According to Eliteprospects.com, Zalewski is:

A reliable two-way forward that has a strong understanding of the game. Has the size to play a gritty, shutdown role and the skating to chase down the puck and win battles. Versatility is his strong suit and he tries to be a difference maker in whatever role he plays. Defensively, he plays a well-rounded game and will be the first to initiate contact. Creates separation well, but needs to follow up on loose pucks and be quicker to action. Has the tools to be a key player in multiple roles. [EP]

Canucks sign Markstrom to three-year extension

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VancouverCanucksCANUCKS BANTER     By Andrew Chernoff    July 8, 2016

EDMONTON, AB – APRIL 6: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers can’t get a shot past goaltender Jacob Markstrom #25 of the Vancouver Canucks on April 6, 2016 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The game is the final game the Oilers will play at Rexall Place before moving to Rogers Place next season. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)

Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks General Manager Jim Benning announced July 7 that the Canucks have signed goaltender Jacob Markstrom to a three-year contract extension. The contract will carry an annual average value of $3.67 million and will run through the end of the 2019.20 season.

“Jacob is a talented, competitive goaltender with size and a proven ability to make big saves at crucial moments in a game,” said Jim Benning. “He set career highs in several statistical categories last season and two years ago led the Comets to their first Calder Cup Final. He’s motivated and wants to help his team win. We’re excited to have Jacob competing in a Canucks uniform for years to come.”

Markström is a tall goaltender that has a lot advantage of being big and making himself look even bigger in net. He is a skilled goaltender with great mental strength as one of his major characteristics. He is cool, despite having a strong winner’s instinct. Plays the butterfly style with a decent glove and has fine positioning and agility in net. What has been noticeable, however, is that he sometimes goes down too early and has problems getting up on his feet fast enough after a save. He could also work some with his rebound control, but overall Markström has plenty of raw qualities that makes him a very interesting prospect. http://www.eliteprospects.com

Appearing in his sixth NHL season in 2015.16, Markstrom established career highs for games played (33), starts (30), wins (13), shots against (988), saves (904) and minutes (1,848). The 26-year-old finished the season with a 2.73 goals against average, a .915 save percentage and set career-highs for most shots faced (48) and most saves made (47) in a single game on March 22, 2016 at Winnipeg. Markstrom also posted a record of 1-0-1 along with a 2.40 goals against average during a two game conditioning stint with the AHL Utica Comets to start the season. In 83 career NHL games split between Vancouver and Florida, the 6-6, 201-pound goaltender has a record of 26-42-9 along with a 3.00 goals against average and .904 save percentage.

On the international stage, the Gavle, Sweden native has represented his country in numerous tournaments including the IIHF World Championship in 2016, 2013 (gold) and 2010 (bronze) and at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2010 (bronze) and 2009 (silver). He is also set to represent Team Sweden at the 2016 World Cup.

Markstrom was acquired by Vancouver from Florida alongside Shawn Matthias in exchange for Roberto Luongo and Steven Anthony on March 4, 2014. He was originally selected by Florida in the second round, 31st overall, at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

FireShot Screen Capture #319 - 'Eliteprospects_com - Jacob Markström' - www_eliteprospects_com_player_php_player=9787

Source: Canucks sign Markstrom to three-year extension

Nikita Tryamkin: Is He Vancouver’s Answer To Zedeno Chara?

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CANUCKS BANTER     By Andrew Chernoff    MARCH 8, 2016

http://www.eliteprospects.com

The last few days have had Canucks news filled with the excitement of Canucks prospect 6’7″ Russian defenceman Nikita Tryamkin coming over to North America before the end of this season and playing some games in the NHL with the Canucks.

The Canucks drafted Tryamkin in the third round, 66th overall, in 2014. He is 21-years-old, and has already played four seasons in the KHL with Yekaterinburg Automobilist.

One of the reasons for Tryamkin to be on the Canucks radar at this time is he will become an unrestricted free agent if he isn’t signed by June 1.

Hockey’s Future describes Tryamkin’s talent as follows:

Tryamkin is a huge defender with a cannon of a shot. His size and puck skills are his two biggest assets. Drafted in his third year of eligibility after competing for Russia in the 2014 World Junior Championship, he is a late bloomer and must continue to work on his skating and positional play.

Long-term Tryamkin projects as a traditional stay-at-home defenseman with the size and reach to take away passing lanes and prevent scoring opportunities.

According to Metro, there are a few issues:

His contract in the KHL doesn’t expire until April 30, so there is a task of figuring out how Tryamkin can get out of that existing deal before he can sign in Vancouver.

There is a precedent for a player getting out of their KHL contract.

Based on reports out of Pittsburgh last summer, Sergei Plotnikov paid $500,000 to terminate his deal in the KHL in order to sign with the Penguins. It’s unknown if Tryamkin and his representatives would view that as a viable option, if it’s available.

When it comes to cap space – the Canucks had $2.14 million available as of Thursday, according to General Fanager – Benning said the organization should have a better idea of that next week when they get updated medical reports on injured defenceman Alex Edler (broken fibula) and Brandon Sutter (broken jaw, and currently on the long-term injured reserve).

Once a deal is signed, Tryamkin’s immigration documents would then need to be figured out.

Provided that all goes according to plan and the Canucks can get him under contract before the end of this season, Tryamkin would then report to Vancouver to join the NHL club.

Tryamkin is coming off his most productive season in the KHL. In 53 games played, he had 4 goals and 7 assists. He’s a big, left shooting defenseman, which any NHL team could use, if he can be effective utilizing the potential of his size and shot, similar to Zedeno Chara of the Boston Bruins. He can also play defense on the right side.

As for Tryamkin sticking with the NHL club, general manager Jim Benning told the Province on Sunday:

“As far as him staying over here for the long term, we’re going to sign him and get him over here practising and then hopefully get him in some games between now and the end of the season.

“If he’s ready (for the NHL), that’s perfect. If he still needs time to develop, we’ll have to talk to him. With all Russian players, you hope that they stick it out for that development period and are part of your team long term.”

According to that Province article, Tryamkin is a stay-at-home defenceman who skates decently for his size and possesses a big shot.

Canuck fans, keep your fingers crossed: the next Zedeno Chara could be coming to Vancouver.