It's true this team hasn't done well drafting high caliber dmen, so it's a nice change of pace having a blue chip dman in the prospect ranks, but taking a look at the aforementioned Ohlund and Edler development....Hockey Widow wrote:Edler, Ohlund, ???Uncle dans leg wrote:Its hard to say what we have in Juolevi. He shows flashes of stud so thats a huge check in his favour...its just he goes long stretches looking pretty average at best.
Seeing as the Canucks haven't ever developed from scratch a top talent defenseman i (sorry Tanev is 3rd or 4th at best) it is a relatively new experience for us as fans.Uncle dans leg wrote:Ya and Lumme if you back farther...they were top talent for sure. The point was more that we have very little experience with it where say Nashville or Anaheim develop waves of them.
6'4-230lbs Ohlund was drafted in 1994, 13th overall, developed a few years overseas and then started his NHL career at 21 years of age in 1997.
6'3-214lbs Alexander Edler drafted in 2004, 91st overall, developed overseas, one year in junior and over half a season in the AHL with some NHL games, before going full time as a pro also at 21 years of age.
Now 6'3-180lbs ish Juolevi, drafted in 2016, 5th overall has two years in junior development, still only 19, but in May 2018 he'll be 20, he'll probably go overseas this year, so ideally next year he should get half a season in the AHL, half NHL if you want to take it a safer approach which has worked well for Ohlund and Edler in the Canucks uber rare world of developing all-star dmen.
