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Noah Juulsen: Prospect Profile for the Canadiens’ No. 26 Pick

Player: Noah Juulsen

Drafted By: Montreal Canadiens

Position: Defense

Final Central Scouting Ranking: #22 (North American Skaters)

Height/Weight: 6’1″ / 176 lbs.

DOB: April 2, 1997

Most Recent Affiliation: Everett Silvertips (WHL)

Background

Abbotsford, British Columbia native Noah Juulsen is another classic ‘late-riser’ case. A fourth-round draft case (70th overall) at the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft, the right-handed defenseman’s major junior hockey career got off to a very slow start in the 2013-2014 season – he scored just two goals and eight assists in 59 games as a rookie during the regular season and was blanked on the score sheet in the postseason.

Perhaps it was a confidence issue, or maybe just a level of difficulty in transitioning to the WHL style of play that year, but he became an entirely new player in the 2014-2015 season. Juulsen improved his offensive game dramatically in his draft year, scoring 52 points (9G, 43A) in 68 regular-season games. He was invited to the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, a feat that would have been impossible had he not stepped it up offensively this past year. However, he continued to struggle in the postseason, registering a lone assist in six playoff games.

Full Scouting Report

Juulsen is a solid two-way defender who knows how to direct the play with the puck on his stick. His vision allows him to open up time and space for his teammates, and he has deft hands that can create plays in the offensive zone. A poised blue-liner, he controls the puck well and rarely finds himself making bad decisions offensively. Juulsen can play physically when necessarily, unafraid to dish out the big hits in order to make a play.

There are some deficiencies to his game that he must work on, however. Though he is a smooth skater, he is not the most dynamic by any means; he can become a much more mobile defender with some focus on improving his skating ability. Juulsen also tends to overthink sometimes, especially when playing without the puck and in pressure situations, however some more seasoning and development in the WHL will help eliminate that issue.

NHL Timetable

The talent and the skills are there, but it’s just a matter of honing them for Juulsen to become an NHL defenseman. It may be a bit excessive of a projection, but Juulsen may take longer than most, and we may not see him in the big league until the 2019-2020 season. It’s wise not to rush defensemen, so two more years in the WHL and then two years of AHL hockey would be best for his development.

Top-End Potential

Realistically, we can expect to see Juulsen in a top-four role in the future. It is unclear as to whether he has the potential to be a top-pairing blue-liner, but he’d make for an exceptional second-pair defender.