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How good is the Vancouver Canucks’ prospect depth? | National Post

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“I’ve developed well and have had some success and I’m a guy who has always stepped up to the next level when the challenge is calling,” Thatcher Demko said.

Patrick Johnston, Postmedia Network | August 30, 2016

It all depends on how you look at it.

At the top end, it’s strong.

But the list just isn’t that long.

That’s the conclusion reached by ESPN prospect guru Corey Pronman, who has the Canucks 13th overall in the latest edition of his prospect pool ranking.

There’s plenty of reason to be excited about the golden trio of Olli Juolevi, Thatcher Demko and Brock Boeser. One could be a top-end defenceman, another an elite starter in net and the third looks to have elite sniper written all over him. The 2018-19 Canucks could be a real hotshot team.

Juolevi’s hockey brain is his most notable asset, Iain Macintyre wrote in early July.

“I think it’s the same thing for your whole life: whether it’s on the ice or off the ice, you have to be confident,” Juolevi, 18, explained. “Be yourself. Don’t be fake or anything. If you know your strengths, you can use those. If you’re good at something, you can say that. But you also have to know you have to improve other things.”

Demko’s set to spend a season in Utica, working with goalie guru Rollie Melanson.

After he signed on with the Canucks, leaving behind a stellar record at Boston College, he told Ben Kuzma he’s ready to take on the challenge.

“I’ve developed well and have had some success and I’m a guy who has always stepped up to the next level when the challenge is calling,” added Demko. “I did get the opportunity to play at the world juniors against (Connor) McDavid, (Max) Domi and (Anthony) Duclair and that’s the closest I’ve been to the pro game. I expect faster guys and the pucks is going to be moving quicker.

“It’s just an adjustment period from a physical sense and just learning the grind of a pro schedule.”

And Boeser did everything you could imagine a college freshman could do, and then probably more.

He could have turned pro, especially with his father dealing with Parkinson’s and his mom working two jobs to support the family, but Boeser said he wanted to do another year of education. The Canucks’ cap planning benefits too. They save another entry-level contract year and you’d think they’d want to slot him right into the NHL. Boeser at 20 will surely be even better dynamite than he will be at 19. Muscle does matter.

“There’s definitely a thought about helping support them and getting some money,” Brock said. “But they also wanted me to go back to school and get another year under my belt, closer to a degree.

“It wasn’t that hard a decision. I think Vancouver and I were on the same page. Another year would really help me develop. I think I took a big step this year and I think I can take another step next year. (The Canucks) agreeing with me really helped. They didn’t push on me.

“I think it helps me build a relationship with them. It made it easier for me to make the decision to stay.”

The depth, though, isn’t much. The list has names like Gaunce, Pedan, Subban, Cassels, Sautner, Stecher, Brisebois and Zhukenov on it. Those are all interesting names — the first two have already played NHL games of course — but none of them screams possible star like Juolevi, Boeser and Demko do.

Source: How good is the Vancouver Canucks’ prospect depth? | National Post

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.

olli

“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.

Jason Botchford: Why Olli Juolevi still hasn’t signed with the Canucks

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Vancouver Canucks draft choice Olli Juolevi is the only remaining 2016 top-10 pick waiting on a contract. Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

Jason Botchford   July 26, 2016   http://theprovince.com

At some point, the Canucks will sign their prized first-round draft pick, Olli Juolevi. It just might not be anytime soon.

Juolevi is the last signable player taken in the top 10 of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft without an entry-level contract. There are, of course, two players in that top 10 who have committed to college and won’t be signing contracts this year.

So, what gives with Juolevi? Those with connections to the talks say it’s not hard to figure out. Just look at the numbers. There are a couple of million of them in play here.

In signing entry-level deals, player agents can negotiate two types of bonuses, Schedule A and Schedule B. The maximum is US$850,000 per year for Schedule-A bonuses and every player in the top 10 signed for the max. That’s a lock for Juolevi.

The Schedule B maximum is $2 million in bonuses per year and only one player, Auston Matthews, got that. But every player in the top four had significant Schedule-B bonuses worked into their contracts.

Drafted at No. 4, Jesse Puljujarvi’s contract includes $1.65 million per year in potential Schedule-B bonuses. Interestingly, Matthew Tkachuk, who was taken by Calgary at No. 6, got none in his. That’s a significant drop-off in potential money. Guess who was sandwiched in the middle of those two on draft day?

Asked specifically if the Canucks were taking a hard line on Schedule B bonuses, Juolevi’s agent, Markus Lehto, would say only: “There have been discussions, but I don’t negotiate through the media.”

Asked about Juolevi’s contract status on TSN 1040 on Tuesday, Canucks president Trevor Linden suggested a timeline of a few weeks for a deal. Linden did appear to brush off concern about Juolevi’s contract status as no big deal, and he’s probably right.

But it’s worth mentioning that Toronto general manager Lou Lamoriello was criticized harshly by some when the Matthews talks lagged a bit. It was suggested then that Lamoriello risked alienating Matthews, while delivering a negative message to the rest of the league on how the Leafs treat their stars. Of course, Matthews was soon signed and all that talk was made to look pretty foolish.

Maybe more interesting was Linden’s suggestion that the most likely landing spot for Juolevi this fall is playing back in the OHL. Vancouver, and Lehto, believe the prospect isn’t eligible for the AHL this season. But he could play in Europe and, for whatever the reasons, the Canucks haven’t yet openly said it’s an option, even though it’s something that is being considered strongly by the Juolevi camp. Lehto said teams in both the Swedish and Finnish elite leagues have contacted him inquiring about the possibility of Juolevi playing there.

“All of the European teams see themselves as having a great development program,” Lehto said. “There is interest when they see a Finnish guy get drafted where he did and one who played really well at the U20 tournament, maybe the best defenceman in the tournament.

“Wouldn’t you think that kind of guy is very attractive? But what I’ve said all along, (Juolevi’s) priority is to make the Vancouver Canucks.”

That remains remotely possible. But if he doesn’t, wouldn’t there be more for Juolevi to gain playing in Europe against men in a high-quality league, rather than going to the OHL, where he’s accomplished about all he can accomplish, to play against a lot of teenagers? It’s at least something that should be considered while the Canucks are killing time before they sign Juolevi.

2016 NHL DRAFT TOP 10  — Annual average value of their contract

1. Auston Matthews, US$3.775 million.
2. Patrick Laine, $3.575m.
3. Pierre-Luc Dubois, $3.425m.
4. Jesse Puljujarvi, $3.425m.
5. Olli Juolevi, unsigned.
6. Matthew Tkachuk, $1.775m.
7. Clayton Keller — committed to college.
8. Alexander Nylander $1.775m.
9. Mikhail Sergachev $1.775m.
10. Tyson Jost — committed to college.

Schedule-B bonuses the team and the player can negotiate (maximum total is US$2 million per year)
1. Finishing in the top five for Hart, Norris, Selke and Richard.
2. Finishing in the top three for Calder and Lady Byng.
3. Making the first- or second-team all-star group.
4. Winning the Conn Smythe.
5. Finishing in the top 10 among defencemen in goals, assists or points.
6. Finishing in the top 10 in points-per-game (must play 42 games).
7. Finishing in the top 10 in average time-on-ice (must play 42 games).

Source: Jason Botchford: Why Olli Juolevi still hasn’t signed with the Canucks | The Province

NHL Draft Decisions: Vancouver Canucks – Sportsnet.ca

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  JUNE 18, 2016

For the first time this century, the Vancouver Canucks own a top-five pick at the NHL Draft.

Though general manager Jim Benning has been fielding calls and listening to offers on the pick, the club is comfortable at five and seems to be excited about adding a new top prospect to the pipeline.

Barring a Godfather offer – the sort that one ‘can’t refuse’ – the club isn’t eager to move down.

“We’ve got the fifth pick and we really like the players available at five,” Benning told Sportsnet this week. “We think it’s going to be a first line player as a forward or a first pair player as a defenceman.

“There are two forwards we really like and a defenceman, or a couple defencemen, who we really like and we’re getting one of those players,” Benning continued, while emphasizing that he didn’t expect to be able to move up in the draft order.

Assuming the Canucks use the fifth overall pick, the club will have some intriguing options. And there are a number of players they’re considering.

“There’s still some uncertainty as to who is going to be there and not, so we go through different scenarios,” said Canucks director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett.

“We’ve identified five or six different players that we’d be thrilled to get. We think they’re going to be fundamental, cornerstone pieces of our franchise going forward.”

Who are some of the players that could be available the Canucks are strongly considering? Here are four top contenders.

Matthew Tkachuk

The American-born power forward won the Memorial Cup with the London Knights this past season and scored the championship-winning overtime goal.

Tkachuk has the raw offensive instincts and the sort of physical strength and speed that generally appeals to NHL teams at the top of the draft.

He also managed a whopping 107 points in 57 games in the OHL regular season, before scoring better than a goal per game in the OHL playoffs in his draft season.

If any questions linger about Tkachuk’s suitability as a bluechip prospect – and talking to people in the industry, it seems most of those questions were answered by his playoff performance – it relates to his having spent the season with top-end linemates, including Christian Dvorak and top Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Mitch Marner.

The Canucks, it seems, aren’t concerned by the possibility that Tkachuk’s offensive totals were inflated by the players he skated with.

“We’ve watched him now for three years, he played on a good line (this year), the year before he played on a good line with the US Development Program,” Benning told Sportsnet. “In each instance, part of that line being good was because of him…

“I know he played on a good line this year, but the last three years he’s been on good lines, and a big part of those lines’ success has been his play.”

Pierre-Luc Dubois

The Canucks heavily scouted Dubois over the course of this season, with Benning even making a special trip to watch Dubois’ Cape Breton Screaming Eagles play live in the playoffs.

Dubois won’t turn 18 until draft day and he led all first-time draft eligible players in the QMJHL in scoring by a decent margin. He has a rare combination of size, speed and offensive skills and projects as the sort of two-way piece that can stick at centre in the NHL.

Just how rare is Dubois’ combination of size, speed and skill? You have to go back a decade – to Jakub Voracek in 2006 – to find a QMJHL prospect whose performance in their draft eligible season closely compares with Dubois’ height, relative youth and production.

Though there’s always a chance the Canucks might pass on Tkachuk or Dubois, at least one of whom will surely still be on the board by the time they pick, the smart money is on the club selecting whichever one of these two is left over.

Logan Brown

If there’s one forward who might change that calculus, it’s 6-foot-6 Logan Brown of the Windsor Spitfires.

The American-born son of former Canucks defenceman Jeff Brown, Logan is blessed with a massive frame and a solid offensive toolkit.

Among first-time draft-eligible skaters in the OHL, only Tkachuk, Alex DeBrincat and Alex Nylander manufactured a higher points per game rate. And none of those other players are 6-foot-6.

Brown stands out to the Canucks for a variety of reasons, all of which make sense. After all he’s a natural centre, he’s massive and he’s shown enormous improvement over the past 10 months.

“Over the course of last season, out of all the players in this draft, from the start of the season to the way he played in Grand Forks (at the U18 tournament), there was a huge jump in his progression,” Benning said of Brown.

“A 6-foot-6 guy who protects the puck and handles the puck like he can and make plays, that’s an attractive package. To say he’s a dark horse, I don’t know about that. He’s really improved, but he’s always been a skilled, talented player.”

Olli Juolevi

The Canucks are high on several defencemen in this draft – they’re believed to like Jake Bean, Jakob Chychrun and Charlie McAvoy in particular.

London Knights blueliner Juolevi has emerged as the consensus ‘best defenceman available’ and Benning has praised the Finn’s game in recent months, so we’ll use him as our example of what the Canucks would do if they decide to take a defenceman.

Before the floor fell out from under the Canucks in mid-February, the club seemed to be telegraphing their desire to select a defenceman in the first round.

Now that they’re picking in the top-five though, they can’t afford to consider positional need.

“When you’re at five, you have to look for best overall ability,” Brackett said.

“If it happens to coincide with a depth need or an organizational need that’s the cherry on top, but when you’re picking this high you just take the best available. You can’t be influenced by positional need at this point.”

Also consider that in May Benning said he wasn’t convinced that a true No. 1 defenceman existed in this draft class and it seems likely the club will use the fifth-overall pick on a forward.

That said, Benning did seem to moderate those comments in an extended discussion with Sportsnet this week.

“I think there’s a couple of defencemen that have a chance to grow into (a No. 1) in this year’s draft, and I think there’s some defencemen that have some special skills that will transform to the way that the game is being played now,” Benning said.

If the Canucks opt to hold the fifth-overall pick, expect them to take a forward. If they find a trading partner and move back in the first-round though, expect them to select a defenceman.

“In the course of the top 15 picks, there are five or six defencemen that we really like, who we think can be top-four defencemen in the NHL,” Benning said.

Source: NHL Draft Decisions: Vancouver Canucks – Sportsnet.ca