Jakob Chychrun vs Olli Juolevi

Hello everyone! I’m back, I know I’ve had a couple people ask where I’ve been. I just moved and started a new job so I haven’t had a ton of free time or ideas to write about. But we’re about 2 weeks away from the NHL lottery so I’m going to try and cover a lot of the projected first round guys on my list with scouting reports. I know I get lots of questions on certain guys and stuff like that so I thought it’s a pretty dead time of year, so I might as well dive nose first into the draft conversation. We don’t know what’s going to happen this year the Oilers could win the 1st overall pick, stay at 2 or fall anywhere down to 5. They could also trade back to wherever, but I think they’d prefer to stay in the top 8. So the first two guys up are from a Twitter request from fellow rig writer Supernova.

Jakob Chychrun vs Olli Juolevi

Jakob Chychrun

Chychrun is a very intriguing prospect for me. Unique blend of size, speed, skill, offensive and defensive awareness. His biggest asset is his skating ability. The kid can absolutely fly, first step is extremely quick and he hits top speed in a hurry. He’s the complete package at 6’3 215lbs and already has pro size while he just turned 18. His size and skating ability help him dominate all three zones in junior hockey. Often for the Sarnia, he’s a one man break out. He gets the puck and he’s gone in the blink of an eye, when his path is shut down he always makes a strong outlet pass, tape to tape. He doesn’t go out of his way to be physical, but he has no problem doing the job when it needs to be done. Lots complain about his offensive numbers not growing as much as some would like. He’s taken a lot of pride in his own zone this season, he’s developed a lot in that end of the ice which is always nice to see in a young player. He also has a bomb for a shot that’s pretty accurate. There’s a few people who believe he’s farther along then Aaron Ekblad at the same age. Which is quite the compliment seeing how good Ekblad was in his first pro season. I project him to be a top pairing left side defensemen for the next 12-15 years. He’s going to be an elite two way defensemen. He’s also ready to play 3rd pairing minutes in the NHL next season along with PP time. Whichever team gets him should use the same development method that the Hurricanes used with Noah Hanifin. Didn’t bury him with responsibilities, but gave him a chance to grow. Here’s a highlight reel goal he scored as a 16 year old.. Not bad for a 16 year old defensemen.

Olli Juolevi

Although Olli has some similar traits to Chychrun, they are different style players. Juolevi moves very well in all directions. He’s a fantastic skater as well. Along with his good mobility, he plays with a lot of poise in his game. He’s a fantastic passer. Makes breakout passes look very easy. Runs a powerplay very efficiently, strong shot. He has good instinct all over the ice, the only thing that’s holding him back at times is his lack of strength. Which isn’t uncommon in 17/18 year old kids. Most don’t weigh 215lbs at 18 like Chychrun. Juolevi probably won’t ever be as big as Chychrun. But he still needs to put on probably another 15 pounds. Currently he’s about 6’2 180 pounds. Once he’s done growing I’m guessing he’ll be similar size to Niklas Hjalmarsson 6’3 200 lbs. Which is also kind of funny, because he plays a very similar game to him as well. Juolevi displays very good vision in all aspects of his game. Always seems to know where he is and where the pressure is coming from. He isn’t as flashy as others, But he’s a pretty safe bet moving forward.

http://youtu.be/I_tX8AI46kA

Conclusion

The race is very tight between these two men. It will depend a lot of who’s picking where and their opinions on both players. Although both are left shots they’d both be very good options for the Oilers down the road if they decide to go down this route. I don’t get to tied up in the left shot problem. If he’s the best available player, take him. You can always move guys around when the time comes. Chychrun/ Juolevi and Klefbom on your left side for the next dozen years would be awesome. Juolevi needs a bit more time to develop in junior. Mostly just to develop some more muscle. But Chychrun is ready for the pro game, he’s probably almost if not already better then Darnell Nurse. That isn’t a knock on Darnell. That’s just stating how good Chychrun is already.

Would the Oilers trade down to get one of these guys?

Obviously the Oilers would like to find another forward. The have some depth in the NHL. But don’t have any outstanding forward prospects coming yet. They have Slepyshev who started slow but has started to look abit more comfortable in North America. Often the first year with Russians in North America is tough. Smaller ice, language barrier ect. Jujhar Khaira and Bogdan Yakimov are on the way. But they project to be bottom 6 guys at the next level.

The Jets badly need another guy that can score up front. They have a strong goaltender coming in Connor Hellebuyck. Defense is pretty strong. But they need another high profile forward. So a couple of the guys I follow of Twitter were throwing around this possibility which I found very intriguing. Would both teams do it?

To Edmonton:

#6 and Jacob Trouba

To Winnipeg:

Auston Matthews

Then if the Oilers drafted Chychrun and managed to get their hands on Hamonic they’d be pretty happy next season.

Klefbom – Hamonic

Sekera – Trouba

Chychrun – Davidson

Gryba
Out: Number 1/2 and Eberle.

In: Chychrun, Trouba and Hamonic.

Next up.. Pierre Luc Dubois vs Matthew Tkachuk.