There are a trio of defencemen that are consistently rated as the top three for this year’s NHL Draft. Should the Montreal Canadiens stay the course and pick 9th, one of Olli Juolevi, Jakob Chychrun and Mikhail Sergachev will likely be available. All three are left shooting defencemen and would fill the Canadiens lack of depth on the left side, especially considering Andrei Markov’s age as he inches closer to 40 and retirement.
Olli Juolevi - 6’2”, 183 lbs
Team: London Knights (OHL)
Stats: 57 GP 9G 33A 42PTS
Rankings: NHLCS NA # 5, ISS # 11, McKeen’s # 5, Craig Button # 9
There were question marks on how Juolevi would perform this past season as he was recovering from knee surgery. On top of it, how would he adjust in his first season playing in North America with the London Knights? Juolevi surpassed all expectations and then some. His stock truly rose at the Junior World Championships where he helped lead Finland to the gold medal with 9 assists in 7 games. He played big minutes on Finland’s top pairing and proved that he could handle going up against the top 17-19 year old junior players in the world. En route to winning the Memorial Cup with the Knights and being named to the tournament All-Star Team, Juolevi racked up 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists) in 18 games.
Many scouts say that what sets Juolevi apart from the other draft elegible defencemen is his astute hockey sense. Ask him and he’ll give you the same answer (courtesy of NHL.com):
"I'm the smartest of the [defensemen]; something that is hard to teach," Juolevi said. "It's like one of those natural things that you either have or you don't have. You can always go practice your shooting or skating or whatever, but that's a hard thing to improve."
He is certainly not lacking in the self-confidence department but he does not come across as full of himself either. His poise with and without the puck is a desirable trait and he reads the play extremely well. Juolevi is less of a shooter and more of a PP Quarterback but he has time to develop a better shot. He can be counted on to play in all situations and while he is not the most physical player, Julolevi is strong on the puck and should not be underestimated. Craig Button has compared his style of play to Marc-Edouard Vlasic. He would certainly look good in the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge.
Jakob Chychrun - 6’2”, 200lbs
Team: Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Stats: GP 62 G 11 A 38 PTS 49
Rankings: NHCS NA #4, ISS # 8, Future Considerations # 4, McKeen’s #13
Before the season began, Chychrun was almost a shoo-in to be a consensus top 5 pick and the first defenceman chosen at the draft. Perhaps it is not so much that he had an okay season but that Juolevi and Sergachev surprised many to climb significantly up the rankings. With 49 points in 62 games, Chychrun still displayed offensive talent but produced less goals (11) in more games played compared to the year beforehand (16 goals in 42 games). He has a canon of a shot and so less goals this season did not help his draft case.
What sets Chychrun apart from the other top defenceman is his strength and physicality. He particularly shone at the Scouting Combine earlier in June where he tied for 5th in the mean power outage, 10th in peak power outage, 6th in the vertical jump and 2nd in the long jump. Chychrun has the physical tools to play in the NHL sooner rather than later.
Disappointed after getting cut from the Team Canada World Junior roster despite his young age, Chychrun’s second half of the season left a little more to be desired. However, he bounced back when he was an assistant captain for Canada at the World U-18 Championship and again with his impressive combine. A physical force would certainly be welcomed on the Canadiens roster, especially when going up against the Western Conference teams.
Mikhail Sergachev - 6’2”, 221lbs
Team: Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Stats: GP 67 G 17 A 40 PTS 57
Rankings: NHLCS NA #8, Craig Button #8, ISS #8, McKeen’s #14
Sergachev had perhaps the most outstanding season of all draft eligible defencemen wining the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL’s best defenceman. In fact, he was the youngest recipient of the award making it an even more impressive feat and he had to overcome a language barrier with his teammates. Sergachev might just be the best blend of Juolevi and Chychrun.
Of his 57 points, 31 came on the powerplay with 8 goals proving that he is an excellent quarterback. He has a big shot but even if he doesn’t score he is creating opportunities for his teammates. Sergachev is an excellent two way defenceman and a smooth skater for someone his size. He can knock an opponent down and then take the puck up the ice to start the play.
Sergachev’s favorite NHL player is Alex Ovechkin and it is easy to see why (Comments courtesy of NHL.com):
“He’s an animal on the ice, he’s big, strong, has a good shot, good hands and good head. He’s fun to watch because he’s like a bear, and I want to be a Russian bear.”
If Sergachev wants to be the Ovechkin of defence then that is a scary thought and any team would be lucky to have him…
Cheers & follow along!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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