LATEST | Former Canucks first-rounder finds new home: Confirming the disastrous Canucks selection

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Cooper Godin
November 13, 2023 (10:59)

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After spending training camp on a professional tryout contract (PTO) with the Arizona Coyotes and the start of the 2023-24 season with Timra IK in Sweden, former Vancouver Canucks first-rounder Olli Juolevi has found a new home for the rest of the campaign.

Tappara Tampere, a team in Finland's top division, Liiga, announced on Monday that they've signed Olli Juolevi.

Note: the quotes in this story are translated from Finnish.

"Juolevi is a good versatile defender who will certainly be a good help to our pack. The man can play with the puck and defend with quality. He has a gambler's fault and a special talent in the background, which is also indicated by the exceptionally early reservation number for the Finnish defender, Tappara's sports manager Antti Tuomenoksa said."

"It's a good feeling to come to Tappara. I wanted to come here and the club wanted me. Tappara is a quality place to play, here is a good place to develop and a chance to succeed, Juolevi said.

Juolevi, 25, was selected fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 2016 and went on to appear in 23 games for them during the 2020-21 season, before moving on to the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings.

In nine games this season with Timra IK in the Swedish Hockey League, the Helsinki native had one goal, no penalty minutes and was a minus-six. He is expected to make his debut with Tappara Tampere on Friday against Ilves.

Imagine how much a top ten pick could be helping the Canucks at this point. Juolevi could've been either one of Matthew Tkachuk, Clayton Keller, Mikhaïl Sergachev or even Charlie McAvoy.

Source: Tappara Tampere