BLOG: Juulsen debuts with Montreal while Silvertips prep for three in three

Former Everett Silvertips captain Noah Juulsen became the 18th player in franchise history to play in the NHL Thursday when he debuted with the Montreal Canadiens in a 3-1 win over the visiting New York Rangers.

Everyone think he's ready? @TipsAlumni pic.twitter.com/uY2fgSMKPf
— x Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) February 23, 2018

During Juulsen's shifts the Canadiens controlled over 60 percent of the shots, 70 percent of the scoring chances, and 85 percent of the high-danger shot attempts.
Without exaggerating, he's basically he's Karlsson 2.0 and Doughty 2.0 but younger.
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) February 23, 2018

Juulsen had a solid debut with two shots, a blocked shot, four hits and was plus-two in 17:14 of ice time.

“I’ve known him for a few years now, and that’s what you’d expect. He’s a guy who’s going to be really good playing for this hockey team for a long time.”
-Brendan Gallagher on Noah Juulsen
🎙➡️ https://t.co/Iprhaw8ALz #GoHabsGo
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 23, 2018

I especially liked this tweet of Juulsen’s father, Neil, who is a firefighter for the city of Surrey, British Columbia:

If @noahjuulsen is as tough as his dad looks. Habs got themselves a tough son of a gun. pic.twitter.com/40KcJu9Iio
— Thomas Aurele (@ThomasAurele) February 23, 2018

Meanwhile, the Tips are prepping for another three-in-three that begins Friday against the Vancouver Giants in Langley.

Tuesday marked a special night for Kevin Davis as he eclipsed Shane Harper as the all-time leader in games played. Davis, Everett’s first-round pick in the same 2012 draft that yielded Juulsen, debuted as a 15-year-old for the Tips at Kamloops in 2013.

“I wasn’t thinking too far in the future (at the time), but it was a pretty cool feat that I got to do,” Davis said. “Shout out to Shane Harper. He’s played a lot of games too.”

Fellow 20-year-olds Matt Fonteyne and Patrick Bajkov will also eclipse Harper’s previous mark before season’s end.

“It’s cool to kind of be there with him the whole way,” Fonteyne said. “I think it’s just taking care of your body, on the ice, off the ice, making sure you get your naps and nutrition.”

Added Tips head coach Dennis Williams: “It’s quite a feat. I think one thing you really take away from it is how he’s been able to take care of himself from a physical standpoint. Coming in at a younger age and playing that many games talks about his skill set and his ability to play the game. It’s a long stretch and those are a lot of games that he’s played.”

We also taped our latest ThunderTips Hockey Podcast on Thursday and you can enjoy that below: