The smooth-skating Finnish defender first garnered the attention of scouts at last year's U-18 World Championships, but he really made his mark at the U-20's this past winter, becoming the first defenceman since Jay Bouwmeester in 2002 to make the tournament All-Star team as a key member of the Gold Medal winners.
"He was tremendous at that tournament," said one eastern conference scout who thinks he's a lock as a top-five draft prospect. "His poise and sense with and without the puck as a 17-year-old on the biggest junior stage was truly remarkable."
The name most often brought up this season as a comparable is seven-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom, which is indeed heady praise.
"His smarts and terrific all-around game really remind you of Lidstrom," noted the same scout. "He may not wow you with his physical attributes, he's not the fastest, biggest or strongest...but you aren't going to find a smarter or more poised player in this draft.
Juolevi had some hiccups in the last month of the season and playoffs but the OHL rookie has played a lot of hockey this season.
"He's tired," said the scout. "He's not used to playing this much. I'm not concerned, he's a blue-chip prospect."