Olli Juolevi and Janne Kuokkanen were born 609 kilometres apart in Finland have taken very similar, yet very different paths toward professional hockey. Their lives have intertwined at times. They have even sat on the same bench, wearing the same uniform more than once.
Put their stories together and you get a unique perspective on how choices, rulings and agreements can send two players headed in the same direction to very different places.
Juolevi began his major junior career at 17 years old and ended up being selected fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Kuokkanen stayed an extra year in Finland and was chosen in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Kuokkanen will begin this season playing in the American Hockey League since he was drafted before he began playing major junior hockey.
Under the agreement between the NHL and the Canadian Hockey League, Juolevi cannot go to the AHL. He can go back to major junior with the London Knights and he might be able to play in Europe and for now, that has Juolevi in limbo.
If they had their adventure to choose all over again, would either of them have done it another way?
Let’s have a look.
For Olli Juolevi, go to paragraph 2.
For Janne Kuokkanen, go to paragraph 3.
- Juolevi is from Helsinki. As a hockey player, he hit the Finnish radar early. He made the Jokerit U-16 team at the age of 14 and moved up to their U-20 team a year later. He was selected by the London Knights in the 2015 CHL Import Draft and had a chance to continue his career in the Ontario Hockey League.
To follow Juolevi’s path to North America, go to paragraph 6.
To see what might have happened had he stayed in Finland, go to paragraph 8.
- Kuokkanen’s journey has been a fairly simple one and sits in a situation that is far less complex than Juolevi’s. He was born in Oulunsalo, Finland. It’s a seaside town, where you usually need a sauna before jumping into the water in the Gulf of Bothnia. It doesn’t get much above 60 degrees Celcius. Being away from a larger centre like Helsinki, Kuokkanen may not have had as many eyes on him at a young age. Still, he started playing against 15 and 16-year-olds when he was 13 and 14. From there he joined Karpat and came up through their junior program. He even played a Liiga game for the big team in Karpat and scored two goals. The Carolina Hurricanes selected Kuokkanen in the 2nd round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Right after that, Kuokkanen was selected in the CHL Import Draft by the London Knights, giving him a chance to play Major Junior.
To follow Kuokkanen’s path to North America, go to paragraph 5.
To see what might have happened had he chosen to stay in Finland, go to paragraph 7.
- Things moved along well for Juolevi. He had another solid season with the Knights. His point totals remained the same, which was probably a testament to how steady a player he is. Finland iced a much younger roster at the World Juniors and had a tough tournament, but Juolevi went all the way to Game 7 of the second round of the OHL Playoffs, before the Knights lost to the eventual OHL champions. Juolevi was now 19 and set to impress the Canucks and try to make their team for 2017-18.
Go to paragraph 10
- Kuokkanen joins the London Knights and fits in very nicely. He scores 26 goals and puts up 62 points under Dale Hunter and his coaching staff, taking on a larger and larger role as the season progresses. He becomes a stringer two-way player and by the time the playoffs begin, he is playing in all situations. Kuokkanen scores 10 playoff goals in just 14 games and is a major factor on special teams. Even though the Knights did not win a championship, Kuokkanen signed his first pro contract and ended his season in the OHL on a high note. He joined the Charlotte Checkers for their first-round series in the Calder Cup playoffs.
Go to paragraph 9
- Juolevi didn’t ever look like a rookie in junior hockey. He jumped right into a veteran lineup and played a large role in the London Knights’ 2016 Memorial Cup championship. He also won gold with Finland at the World Junior Hockey Championship, setting a record for most assists by a 17-year-old defenceman. Juolevi was able to play on the biggest junior hockey stages and his stock rocketed up the NHL prospect rankings, and the Canucks, looking for a franchise defenceman, nabbed him fifth overall.
Go to paragraph 4.
- (Hypothetical) Kuokkanen stays with Karpat and splits the year between the U20 team and the Liiga team. He doesn’t get many minutes when playing with the big club and his development suffers. He heads to training camp with Carolina without a contract and is quickly assigned to the American Hockey League where he must prove himself if he hopes to get a chance with the Hurricanes.
The end for now
- (Hypothetical) Juolevi remains with Jokerit’s U20 team and bumps his production up to better than a point per game. That earns him a couple of appearances with the big club in their first season in the Kontinental Hockey League. Juolevi earns some attention in Europe, but given the fairly quiet nature of his game, does not experience as big a boost heading into the NHL Draft and is selected early in the second round.
To put Juolevi in North America at 18, go to paragraph 11.
To have him stay in Finland one more season, go to paragraph 12.
- Koukkanen attended training camp with the Hurricanes without many expectations. He scored a goal and added two assists in four games. He was assigned to the Charlotte Checkers and will being 2017-18 in the AHL with them.
The end for now
- Training camp and the pre-season do not go well for Juolevi. From the 9-4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights to begin their exhibition schedule to the relentless chatter among fans about whether or not Vancouver should have selected Joulevi’s London Teammate, Matthew Tkachuk in the draft. Ultimately, the Canucks decide that Juolevi is not going to start the season as part of their 23-man roster. Since he was selected while playing major junior, he is subject to the CHL-NHL agreement and cannot play in the AHL as a 19-year-old. The Canucks can send him back to London, but by the rules he would have to remain there until the London Knights’ season officially ended. Vancouver could also see whether the International transfer rules might permit him to go and play with and against men in Europe. The situation leaves Juolevi floating somewhere out there in the hockey stratosphere with no real destination.
The end for now
- (Hypothetical) Juolevi joins the Knights and spend a year adjusting to the North American game and learning from London’s coaching staff. He heads to Vancouver as a prospect, but not one with the baggage of being taken fourth overall and is assigned to the Knights for one more season to physically mature. Vancouver signs him to an entry-level contract, but not as lucrative a deal as he could have had if he had been selected higher. Juolevi plays another year in London, continues steady progress and either makes the Canucks as a 20-year old or spends a season in the AHL and then jumps to the NHL.
The end for now
- (Hypothetical) Juolevi again plays for Jokerit in the KHL and becomes one of many Canucks prospects trying to crack the roster. He impresses, but doesn’t stand out and doesn’t have the same kind of resume, experience or coaching he would have had if he had taken another path that would have given him that extra look in training camp because he was a first round draft pick. He either spends time in the AHL to start or returns to Finland.
The end for now
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