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 | ||
| Liiga team Former teams |
Tappara TPS Vancouver Canucks Florida Panthers Detroit Red Wings Timrå IK |
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| NHL Draft | 5th overall, 2016 Vancouver Canucks |
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| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Olli Juolevi (born May 5, 1998) is a professional ice hockey player from Finland. He plays as a defenceman for Tappara in the Liiga, which is Finland's top hockey league. In 2016, the Vancouver Canucks picked him fifth overall in the NHL Draft. Olli grew up playing hockey in Finland with the Jokerit team.
In 2015, he moved to North America to play major junior hockey. He joined the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). After playing one season with the Knights, he was drafted by the Canucks. Olli has also played for Finland in three World Junior Championships. He helped Finland win a gold medal at the 2016 tournament.
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Olli's Hockey Journey
Starting in Finland
Olli Juolevi started playing junior hockey in Finland when he was 14. He played for the Jokerit team's younger groups. By the next year, he was playing for Jokerit's U20 team. He scored 32 points in 44 games. This earned him a spot on the league's First All-Star Team. He was also named Rookie of the Year.
Playing for the London Knights
In 2015, the London Knights picked Olli in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. He decided to join the Knights, leaving his junior career in Finland. During the 2015–16 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.
The Knights won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions in 2016. Olli helped a lot, scoring 14 points in 18 playoff games. The team then went on to win the 2016 Memorial Cup, which is a national championship. Olli had seven assists in four games and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team.
Joining the NHL
Because of his great play, many scouts were interested in Olli. NHL Central Scouting ranked him as one of the top players. In the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, the Vancouver Canucks chose him fifth overall. He was the first defenceman picked in that draft. On August 5, 2016, Olli signed his first professional contract with the Canucks.
Time in the AHL
Olli started the 2018–19 season with the Utica Comets. This team is the AHL affiliate of the Canucks. He scored 13 points in 18 games. However, his season ended early because he needed 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 Beyond
Olli made his NHL debut with the Canucks in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. He played in one game, helping Vancouver win and move on in the playoffs.
The next season, Olli earned a spot on the Canucks' main roster. He scored his first NHL goal on January 25, 2021. This happened in a big 7–1 win against the Ottawa Senators.
In October 2021, Olli was traded to the Florida Panthers. He played 10 games with them. In March 2022, he was claimed by the Detroit Red Wings. He played 8 games for the Red Wings.
For the 2022–23 season, Olli signed with the Anaheim Ducks. He played only for their AHL team, the San Diego Gulls. He scored 14 points in 38 games.
Return to Europe
After his contract with the Ducks ended, Olli decided to return to Europe. In October 2023, he signed a short contract with Timrå IK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He played 9 games there.
In November 2023, Olli came back to the Finnish Liiga. He signed with Tappara, who later became champions. Olli played a bigger role in the playoffs, helping Tappara win the Finnish title.
Playing for Finland
| 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 January 5, 2016. Because of his great performance, he was named to the tournament's All-Star team.
He was also named captain for Finland at the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. However, Finland did not do as well that year. They finished ninth and had to win a game against Team Latvia to avoid being moved to a lower division.
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 |
