Interview: Exclusive Q & A with Canucks top prospect Olli Juolevi

Vancouver Canucks prospect Olli Juolevi is one of the hottest defensive prospects in the NHL. Taken 5th overall by the Canucks in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, the 6’2”, 182 lb defenceman has put up back-to-back 42 point seasons for the OHL’s London Knights and looks poised to make a big leap in 2017-18. Where the 19-year-old plays this season however, remains to be seen.

While Canucks fans would love to see their prized prospect in the NHL this season, the Canucks have a bit of a logjam on defence with veterans Alex Edler, Chris Tanev, Erik Gudbranson, Michael Del Zotto, Troy Stecher, Ben Hutton, Alex Biega and Patrick Wiercioch all holding down spots ahead of the youngster. If Juolevi’s going to crack the Canucks roster for 2017-18, he’ll need to force his team’s hand during a condensed preseason schedule that has split the team into two groups. The first group, the veterans, are in Beijing, China playing in the league’s inaugural NHL China Games, while Juolevi and the youngsters remain in North America to play the balance of the preseason.

Popternative recently caught up with the 19-year-old in between ice-times and managed to get him to speak with our very own Trevor Connors to break down Canucks training camp and lay out expectations for the upcoming season.

On Canucks camp and preseason

Connors: First thing is first, how was your offseason? Did you manage to get some down time with friends and family before ramping things up for Canucks camp and the preseason?

Juolevi: I had a great offseason. Of course it was busy with working out and with the development camp in Vancouver.

Connors: With the Canucks having so many talented prospects in the system now, what’s it like to walk into a training camp where roughly half the players are under the age of 25?

Juolevi: It’s great that there’s more prospects in Vancouver now and I think it helps all of us when we can compete with each other.

Connors: This isn’t your first camp, though. You attended last summer’s Young Stars camp/tournament and main camp last season before being returned to London. How would you compare your performance and your mindset this year to last year?

Juolevi: My mindset is basically same as last year and I wanna make the team. It was maybe little bit easier to come back when I kind of knew what to expect. Right now I’m just focusing on making the team.

On Sami Salo and Finnish hockey

Connors: Canucks fans are dying to know… is Sami Salo as big a deal back in Finland as he is in Vancouver? He was truly a fan favourite during his days as a Canuck.

Juolevi: Of course Salo is big name in Finland too, we haven’t had too many great d-mans in the NHL but Salo had a great career.

Connors: Finland is becoming known as a bit of a factory for top-end defensive prospects like yourself. Rasmus Ristolainen, Olli Maatta and Sami Vatanen are all thriving in the NHL and young players like yourself, Petteri Lindbohm and Julius Honka don’t look far behind. Why do you think Finland is suddenly a powerhouse on the blue line?

Juolevi: It’s hard to say why there’s more defenceman coming from Finland but I think the overall player development is better now than it was 10-15 years ago.

Connors: Following up on that, who was your favourite player growing up in Finland? Was there anyone you patterned your game after?

Juolevi: I really liked Teemu Selanne as most young Finnish guys did. He was superstar in NHL and that’s big when you come from Finland.

On his playing style

Connors: How about now? Do you feel like your style has changed? If there’s one current NHLer you could compare yourself to, or maybe someone whose career path you’d like to follow, who would it be?

Juolevi: I’m trusting my style and it doesn’t make sense to change that because it brought me here and I just need to develop that.

Connors: Finally, what’s your take on all the young blue line talent that the Canucks have this pre-season? Besides yourself there’s also Guillaume Brisebois, Anton Cederholm, Jalen Chatfield, Philip Holm, Evan McEneny and Jordan Subban all competing for jobs on the defence. What’s the talent like out on the ice and do you feel you all do a good job of pushing each other to be your best?

Juolevi: And as I said I think it’s great we have more prospects and it drives all of us to be better.

Thanks so much for your time, Olli. All the best to you in the upcoming season and we look forward to watching many years of you in a Canucks jersey!