Montreal Canadiens Prospect Profile: Noah Juulsen

MONTREAL CANADIENS PROSPECT PROFILE: NOAH JUULSEN

Welcome to a new focus that AWH will be taking on from now on, Canadiens Prospect Profiles. Within these articles, we will dig out as much data and knowledge as possible to bring you as much information as a fan can get about franchise prospects. Hopefully you enjoy reading these as much as we enjoy putting them together!

NOAH JUULSEN

• Born: 2nd of April, 1997 (18 years old) in Abbotsford, B.C., Canada
• Height/Weight: 6’2″ /174 lbs
• Shoots: Right
• Selected: in the 1st rd, 26th overall in 2015
• Twitter account: @Juuls16
• Played for: Everett Silvertips
• Wore #3 for Everett. His favourite player is Kevin Bieksa, which is why he sports #3.

STATS:

• Available at Elite Prospects here.
• 2014-15 totals: 68 GP, 9 G, 43 A, 52 points, 42 PIM, +22 (playoffs: 6 GP, 1 A, 1 Pt, +5)

INTERESTING FACTS:

• Drafted by Everett in the 4th rd (70th overall) of the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.
• Played for the Midget AAA Fraser Valey Thunderbirds.
• Played for the Canadian Pacific team in the U-17 WHC 2013-14. His team won the Silver medal.
• Participated in the CHL’s Top Prospects game in 2014-15.
• Spoke about his being drafted by the Habs here on TSN.
• Was second on Everett’s team in +/- at +22, second to only Nikita Scherbak. Is it possible the Habs fell in love with his skill set while keeping tabs on Scherbak? I think so.
• Was the 10th highest scoring defenseman in the WHL in 2014-15 and tied for 5th in most assists.
• Compared by some to Jack Johnson and Brian Campbell.
• Has 3 fights under his belt, details available here.
• His favourite actors are Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler.
• If you want highlights, here they are.
• Signed his first pro contract  after the development camp this summer, a three-year entry level deal.
• If he makes it to the AHL, he will receive a $70,000 salary. All of his contract details are available here at General Fanager.
• Plans are for him to return to Everett for the 2015-16 season with the possibility of playing for team Canada at the IIHF WJHC being held in Helsinki, Finland starting Dec.26th.

If you really, and I mean really, want to see how Noah plays shift-to-shift, you have to take the time to watch the following video. There is even commentary on the video explaining situations. Well worth the watch.

If you don’t want to watch its entirety, that fine, here’s something that sums it up from the Director of NHL Central Scouting before the draft took place:

“Juulsen has taken his game to another level and has been consistent throughout the season,” “We’re very comfortable saying that he is a legitimate first round contender.”

His draft video is included below and includes a lot of good commentary about his skill set.

The best quote I’ve read from Noah Juulsen thus far:

“Personally I love playing PK [penalty kill],” “I’ve played PK growing up my whole life. I don’t mind it; I like blocking shots. It’s something the coaches trusted me when I was 16 and they still trusted me at 17. So I like it a lot.”

His team mate, Nikita Scherbak, welcomed him into the Habs prospect realm:

Now that we know a little more about him, let’s get to the meat of it all in the Analysis (next page).

Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Noah Juulsen shakes hands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected as the number twenty-six overall pick to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

ANALYSIS:

Plain and simple, Noah Juulsen is not a one-way defenseman. He has the hockey sense, IQ, and skill to be an above-average two-way player. There are a few items that always come up along with his name, they are as follows:

1. Great Skater
2. Great Puck-Mover
3. Heavy Shot
4. Hard Worker
5. Potential Workhorse

Some scouts have also pointed to Noah as having excellent vision, of having a frame that should get stronger as he matures, and has above-average transition skills. They do point out that he can try to do too much on some occasions, but really how many young kids don’t do that when put under pressure? To me, that shows a lot of confidence and a willingness to try to help his team in any way.

Nov 2, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman

(24) before the game against Calgary Flames at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

While watching the videos I could find on him, I noticed that while his shot may not have the velocity of an Al MacInnis caliber, he tends to get them no net the majority of the time. To me, there’s nothing more frustrating than watching someone fire a rocket from 15 feet away 2 feet left or right of the net. Getting well-aimed shots on net is much more effective, something that even MacInnis admits he did the majority of the time (take something off each shot to make sure it’s on net).

It’s interesting to see yet another high-profile defenseman be selected by the Habs and wonder just where he’ll sit in the pecking order. With guys like Jarred Tinordi and Brett Lernout already having a head start, they may get the first shot at a roster spot as young Habs Defensemen. However, no current Canadiens prospect has the offensive potential and overall game balance that Juulsen could deliver if he reaches his full potential. What Tinordi and Lernout are expected to bring to the table is toughness and size, along with a well rounded game of course. In comparison, Juulsen will be expected to be tough enough to handle the NHL game, but won’t be expected to have that be his best weapon.

Another aspect I’d add to his skills is that he is very self-aware. He knows which aspects of his game he needs to work on, has learned to not try to do too much as a result, playing within his abilities as a result. Within his post-draft interview, he noted that he was already set to return to Everett in order to add strength and size to his frame. He realizes that he needs to build that aspect of his game, the physical strength, in order to compete effectively in the NHL. To me, that just makes his skills stand out more because it displays a willingness to work on the development aspect of things in order to bring out as much of his potential as possible.

Next up, the final thoughts (next page).