Canucks assign 2016 first-round pick Juolevi to AHL

On Saturday, the Vancouver Canucks announced they were assigning six players to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

The most notable name heading to the minors was Olli Juolevi, who was the fifth-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.

The defenseman is still rehabbing from a major knee surgery he underwent last December.

To say the 21-year-old has had a rough go of it since becoming a pro is a massive understatement. Aside from suffering a serious knee injury, Juolevi was also subject to criticism in May of 2018 about having a video game addiction hinder his development. Canucks general manager Jim Benning, however, was quick to put an end to the rumours.

Juolevi hasn’t participated in any of the team’s preseason contests, as the reported plan is to hold him out of game action until October.

He notched one goal and 13 points across 18 matches with Utica last season.

Additionally, Vancouver assigned Justin Bailey, Brogan Rafferty, Lukas Jasek, Kole Lind and Josh Teves to the Comets. Landon Ferraro was released from his professional tryout.

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