Quote:
Originally Posted by Five-hole
What are some comparables for Juolevi? Is it right to sum him up as a big, non-physical, mobile d-man with elite hockey sense and high-end first pass?
Ryan Suter?
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Suter makes sense although I think Suter has a bit more bite, more physicality to his game than Juolevi. Brodie makes sense although I do think Juolevi is less explosive of a skater but has better shot blocking instincts. Brodie skates it out of trouble himself regularly whereas Juolevi is thinking pass first on the breakout. In a way Brodie and Juolevi have quite different styles of advancing the attack. On defense Brodie is a master of the pokecheck, while Juolevi is really good at using his body to block passes and shots. In the offensive zone Brodie looks to use his speed to jump up and attack up the wing and towards the net. Juolevi is more patient and poised with the puck, taking that extra second to draw a defender to him and then dish it off.
Really I think the best stylistic comparison is to call him a poor man's Lidstrom. But always dangerous to compare players to Hall of Famers. No I'm not suggesting he'll end up anywhere near Lidstrom but their style of play has some similarities. Lidstrom wasn't the fastest, wasn't the most physical, didn't have the biggest point shot but just made the right play so often. Juolevi's style of game is similar even if he doesn't have that HoF upside.