Olli Juolevi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Olli Juolevi |
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Juolevi with the London Knights in 2016
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| Born | 5 May 1998 Helsinki, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL Draft | 5th overall, 2016 Vancouver Canucks |
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| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Olli Juolevi (born 5 May 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player. He plays as a defenceman, which means he helps protect his team's goal. Olli last played for Tappara in the Liiga, which is Finland's top hockey league.
He was chosen fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. This is a big event where professional hockey teams pick young players. Olli grew up in Finland and played for the Jokerit team. Later, he moved to North America to play major junior hockey for the London Knights in 2015.
Olli has also played for Finland in three World Junior Championships. He won a gold medal at the 2016 tournament.
Contents
Olli's Hockey Journey
Starting in Finland
Olli Juolevi started playing junior hockey in Finland when he was 14. He joined the Jokerit U16 team in the 2012–13 season. By the next year, he was playing for Jokerit's U20 team. He scored 32 points in 44 games, which is a great achievement for a young player. Because of his strong play, he was named to the league's First All-Star Team. He also won the Rookie of the Year award.
Playing for the London Knights
After his success in Finland, Olli was picked by the London Knights in the 2015 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. The Knights are a team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in Canada. Olli decided to join them, leaving his junior career in Finland.
In the 2015–16 OHL season, Olli scored 42 points in 57 games. He was one of the top rookie defencemen in the OHL. He was also named to the OHL Third All-Star Team. During the 2016 OHL playoffs, he helped the Knights win the J. Ross Robertson Cup. This made them champions of the OHL.
The Knights then went on to the 2016 Memorial Cup, which is a national championship for junior hockey teams. Olli had seven assists in four games and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team. The London Knights won the national championship with his help.
Joining the NHL: The Draft
Because of his important role in the Knights' championship season, many scouts were interested in Olli. NHL Central Scouting ranked him as one of the top players. In the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Olli was the first defenceman chosen. The Vancouver Canucks picked him fifth overall. On 5 August 2016, Olli signed his first professional contract with the Canucks.
Time in the AHL
Olli was sent to the Utica Comets, which is the Canucks' team in the AHL. This is often where young players develop their skills. In his first AHL season (2018–19), he scored 13 points in 18 games. However, he had to stop playing for the rest of the year due to knee surgery.
He returned to the Utica Comets for the 2019–20 season. He played in 45 games and scored 25 points. The season was later stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NHL Debut and First Goal
Olli made his NHL debut with the Canucks during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. He played in one game, helping Vancouver win and move forward in the playoffs.
In the next season (2020–21), Olli earned a spot on the Canucks' main roster. He scored his first NHL goal on 25 January 2021, in a game against the Ottawa Senators.
Moving to Other Teams
On 10 October 2021, Olli was traded to the Florida Panthers. He played 10 games with them before being placed on waivers. On 5 March 2022, the Detroit Red Wings claimed him. He played 8 games for the Red Wings.
On July 27, 2022, Olli signed a contract with the Anaheim Ducks. He played for their AHL team, the San Diego Gulls, during the 2022–23 season. He scored 1 goal and 14 points in 38 games.
Return to Europe
After his contract with the Ducks ended, Olli decided to return to Europe. On 5 October 2023, he signed a short contract with Timrå IK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He played 9 games there.
On 13 November 2023, Olli returned to the Finnish Liiga, signing with Tappara. He played 40 games and helped Tappara win the Finnish championship. He scored 2 goals and 6 points in 16 playoff games.
International Play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Finland |
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
| IIHF World U20 Championship | ||
| Gold | 2016 Finland | |
Olli Juolevi played for Finland at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. His team won the gold medal on 5 January 2016. He was also named to the tournament's All-Star Team for his excellent play.
He was chosen as the captain for Finland at the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. However, Finland did not do as well that year, finishing ninth.
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2013–14 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 44 | 6 | 26 | 32 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | London Knights | OHL | 57 | 9 | 33 | 42 | 16 | 18 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 4 | ||
| 2016–17 | London Knights | OHL | 58 | 10 | 32 | 42 | 36 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2017–18 | TPS | Liiga | 38 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Utica Comets | AHL | 18 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Utica Comets | AHL | 45 | 2 | 23 | 25 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 23 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 38 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Timrå IK | SHL | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Tappara | Liiga | 40 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | ||
| Liiga totals | 78 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 20 | 27 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 8 | ||||
| NHL totals | 41 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Finland | IH18 | 5th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2016 | Finland | WJC |  |
7 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2017 | Finland | WJC | 9th | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018 | Finland | WJC | 6th | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 22 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 8 | ||||
Awards and Honors
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| International | |
| IIHF World U20 Championship Gold Medal | 2016 |
| IIHF World U20 Championship All-Star Team | 2016 |
