Anaheim Ducks sign Olli Juolevi to one-year contract

The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Olli Juolevi to a one-year contract, the club announced Wednesday.

According to PuckPedia, the two-way deal carries a $750,000 cap hit in the National Hockey League. The Ducks will pay Juolevi a $175,000 salary in the American Hockey League, with guaranteed earnings of at least $200,000.

Juolevi, 24, split the 2021–22 campaign between the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings after being traded to Florida by his draft team, the Vancouver Canucks, at the end of the 2021 pre-season.

The Panthers traded forward Juho Lammikko and defenseman Noah Juulsen to the Canucks to acquire Juolevi’s services. The 6’2″, 182-pound left-handed defender did not record a point and averaged 12:27 in 10 games with Florida before being placed on waivers in March.

The Red Wings subsequently claimed Juolevi and played him in eight more games down the stretch. The Helsinki, Finland product saw his average ice time jump to 13:08 but did not find his way onto the score sheet with Detroit.

The Canucks originally selected Juolevi with the No. 5 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, one spot before the Calgary Flames took Matthew Tkachuk. Juolevi scored two goals and three points while averaging 13:13 in 23 games with the Canucks in 2020–21.

Juolevi joins a Ducks team that includes Max Jones, his former teammate with the London Knights, plus fellow defensemen Cam Fowler, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jamie Drysdale, Urho Vaakanainen, Josh Mahura, Colton White, Simon Benoit, and John Moore.