Canucks prospect Juolevi undergoes season-ending surgery

Olli Juolevi’s first pro season in North America was a short one.

The Vancouver Canucks announced that Juolevi has undergone successful knee surgery, with an estimated return-to-play timeline of six months.

That means the 20-year-old defenceman’s season is over, though the team says he’s expected to make a full recover for training camp in 2019.

“After thorough evaluation, rest and conservative treatment, surgery was determined by Canucks medical staff, in consultation with specialists, as the best option for Juolevi’s long-term health and career,” the Canucks said in a media release.

The injury was originally reported as being not serious, and Juolevi was seen practicing with other injured players earlier this month at Rogers Arena. Clearly that prognosis has changed.

Juolevi, Baertschi & Sutter on the ice ahead of the morning skate as they recover from injuries #Canucks pic.twitter.com/Q5UK2HfZPT

— Satiar Shah (@SatiarShah) December 4, 2018

Juolevi has had a bad run of injuries in 2018, also needing offseason back surgery, but recovered in time for Canucks training camp. The 2016 first round pick played 18 games with the Utica Comets, scoring 13 points (1-12-13). He’s been out of the lineup since November 17, rehabbing his knee in Vancouver since last month.

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