MLive’s Ansar Khan profiled Red Wings prospect Joe Veleno on Wednesday, discussing Veleno’s attempts to crack the Red Wings’ roster:
Veleno, a 6-2, 200-pound center, will have training camp (starting on Sept. 23) and the preseason (starting on Sept. 29) to earn a roster spot. The Red Wings see his future at center but might start him on the wing, like they did with Dylan Larkin and Michael Rasmussen, to reduce his defensive responsibilities until he is acclimated to the NHL. He still is waiver-exempt, so he will remain on the Red Wings roster only if he is playing regularly, not as an extra.
“The whole part of hockey and how you be successful is playing with confidence,” Veleno said at the end of last season. “That’s what I’m going to have to do going into camp and fighting for a spot. Got to play my game and play with confidence — be hard on pucks, winning battles, be physical. Pretty much what I was doing in Detroit my first couple games there. If I do those things on a consistent basis my chances will be good.”
Veleno, 21, had a goal in five games with the Red Wings, averaging 15:06 in ice time.
“I got to play some pretty good minutes, was trusted in all areas of the ice,” Veleno, selected 30th in 2018, said. “It definitely boosted my confidence. Now I got a little bit of a taste of it, how those NHL games are, what to bring to the table day in and day out. It was good to have that experience.”
