"Night and day": How Juulsen turned his season around for Canucks
Vancouver Canucks defenceman Noah Juulsen looks like a completely new player. After an up-and-down start to the season, the BC-born player has been a steady presence on the team’s blue line over the past few weeks.
“He’s just been night and day over the last month,” said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet about the defenceman’s recent play.
One of the areas where Juulsen is contributing most is on the penalty kill. He’s played the fourth most short-handed minutes and been on the ice for just one goal against over the last ten games.
“I think we all just got to work hard. Talking and communicating well is a big thing on the PK, finding where their bumper guys are and if they’ve got a low play and things like that,” said Juulsen to Daily Hive after practice on Wednesday when asked about the penalty kill’s recent success. “Also, just knowing the role you have, you might have to block a shot or eat a puck here and there.”
Here is how he compares against other Canucks defencemen who have played at least 10 minutes short-handed over the last 10 games.
| Player | PK TOI | PK GA per-60-minutes | PK xGA per-60 minutes |
| Noah Juulsen | 18:52 | 3.18 | 7.51 |
| Tyler Myers | 19:51 | 6.05 | 9.1 |
| Nikita Zadorov | 10:30 | 11.43 | 13.88 |
| Ian Cole | 21:40 | 13.84 | 8.19 |
| Filip Hronek | 17:10 | 13.97 | 10.21 |
The improved play on the penalty kill has not gone unnoticed. In fact, the Canucks head coach credits it for bleeding into the rest of the defencman’s game.
“His PK, which has been really good, has helped his five-on-five game. He’s got a lot of confidence out there,” the head coach said on Wednesday morning. “Puck decisions, whatever is in front of him, he’s taking it. He’s not looking for the second option; he’s looking for the first option. I think that’s really helped his game.”
As Juulsen moves up the depth chart, having seemingly now passed Mark Friedman, he has plenty of people inside the organization to draw help from. First and foremost is the coaching staff, which includes Adam Foote and Sergei Gonchar, two defencemen with almost 2,500 NHL games between them.
“The knowledge from all our coaching staff has been amazing,” Juulsen said when asked about the wealth of experience among Canucks coaches. “They’re always showing little pointers here and there, what we can do, how we can adjust, make a little play here and there.”
The coaching staff is not the only helping hand inside the organization. Juulsen has also often been partnered with Ian Cole, a veteran of more than 750 NHL games, and the 34-year-old has had a large impact.
“Coler’s been great. His communication on the ice and just his awareness of where he is on the ice and where he’s gotta be on the ice,” Juulsen explained about his partner. “The support we’ve had together and just communicating I think has been the biggest thing I’ve noticed playing with Coler.”
Head coach Tocchet also recognizes the veteran defenceman’s stabilizing presence and the impact it has for a more inexperienced partner.
“Coler is not a nervous guy, he’s been in the heat before, he’s won a couple Stanley Cups, he’s been on some teams that have gone deep in the playoffs, so he knows there’s going to be bad things that happen on the ice, let’s not duplicate them,” the head coach said on Wednesday. “I think he really talks with Juuls a lot, and it’s good to have a veteran presence with Juuls, really helps.”
The pairing of Cole and Juulsen has a better-than-expected goals percentage than that of Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek for the Canucks at five-on-five this season. While no one would argue that they’ve been the better duo, Cole and Juulsen have provided the Canucks with very solid minutes.
“I think he’s been great for us. I think he’s really come along. His game has grown exponentially,” Cole commented when asked about his defence partner. “He’s executing at a high level, good skater, and he’s physical, makes good reads, makes good plays, he’s a guy that’s maturing right before our eyes, and he’s doing a great job with it. I’m very happy for him, very thrilled, and he’s been a great partner.”
After being told that they’re out of the Ethan Bear sweepstakes, the Canucks have no obvious right-handed defence help on the way. That may not matter if Juulsen continues to flourish in his role and deliver quality minutes, especially on the penalty kill.
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