Olli Juolevi showed something to warrant being a top-five draft pick, and it’s the Detroit Red Wings turn to hope that can emerge.
Juolevi went through his first practice with his new team Monday, a day after being claimed off waivers when the Florida Panthers discarded him. Juolevi, 23, was drafted No. 5 by the Vancouver Canucks in 2016, but he only lasted 23 games in that organization, and played 10 games with the Panthers this season.
“For whatever reason it didn’t go right enough in Vancouver and it hasn’t gone right enough in Florida,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “That doesn’t mean it will or won’t here. Time will tell.”
The Wings (24-26-6) play the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday, but Juolevi (6 feet 2, 182 pounds) isn’t expected to play so soon.
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“When he gets his opportunity, which I’m not sure when that is, I think he’s going to have to play to his strengths and be a guy who moves the puck up the ice and be a guy who transitions well and then you always have to be a guy who defends well.” Blashill said. “He has said to me that that’s an area of the game that he’s understanding how important it is more and more, and hopefully he’s improved in that than when he first came into the league. We’ll see.”
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Juolevi described himself as someone who can “play pretty well all around. My biggest strengths are just moving the puck — I can make plays, break out the puck, give the puck to our forwards.
“I’m a young guy, I want to play. If you’re in the stands or playing eight or six minutes night a night, that’s not even good for you. That’s why I’m excited to be here and I really want to show what I’ve got.”
Sunday was something of a whirlwind: The claim came through shortly after 2 p.m., sending Juolevi packing and on a flight from Florida to Detroit. He knew Troy Stecher from overlapping time with the Canucks, and played with Mitchell Stephens (who is injured) in juniors, but otherwise had to properly familiarize himself with his new teammates.
“It happens pretty quickly,” Juolevi said. “You have a little sense of what the team is, you follow them a little bit. But yeah, it’s a really busy day.”
When he showed up at Little Caesars Arena, the coaching staff told Juolevi to, “come in and be myself, play the way I can, and that way help the team.”
Mostly, though, the coaching staff is still learning what kind of player Juolevi is.
“I haven’t seen him play lots in the NHL,” Blashill said. “We watched some clips. I don’t think he’s had probably enough games for sure to say what he is as an NHL player. He’s still in a spot where he’s hoping to prove that. He’s got good size. When I ask him and I ask other people what his greatest strength is, it’s moving the puck. He’s a guy who can get back and move the puck. Ultimately if he is a guy who can defend well, move the puck out of our end, move the puck through the neutral zone, then he’ll help us.”
There’s no risk to the move: Juolevi’s cap hit is $750,000, and if it doesn’t work out, he can go back on waivers. (That’s what general manager Steve Yzerman did with Gemel Smith, who was claimed and waived earlier this season.) For now, Juolevi gives the Wings some depth should Yzerman trade one of his veteran defensemen — Stecher and Nick Leddy are the frontrunners — between now and the March 21 deadline.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.