The Detroit Red Wings lost a 5-4 decision to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, but Joe Veleno’s NHL debut was a bright spot as the youngster scored his first NHL goal and added an assist in the plucky Wings’ effort.
MLive’s Ansar Khan took note of the circumstances of Veleno’s trip to Toronto…
After being recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins late Friday night, Veleno got a lift to the game in Toronto from general manager Steve Yzerman.
“I had to wake up early in GR, head to LCA and get tested (for COVID-19) and then Steve was on his way (to Toronto),” Veleno said. “It just made sense to drive with him rather than going to the airport and taking a commercial flight and having to do the cross-border stuff.”
Following the four-hour drive with the boss, Veleno scored a goal and assisted on another in his team’s 5-4 loss to the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
“I wanted to work hard and show what I can bring at this level and how I can play, but at the same time I wanted to play with confidence and have some fun,” Veleno said. “I tried my best to do those things to be successful and I thought it went fairly well. It would have been nice to have a ‘W,’ but it was a good hockey game to be a part of.”
And the Free Press’s Helene St. James took note of the Red Wings youngsters’ performances thus far:
In addition to a big performance from Veleno, Filip Zadina also had a goal and an assist, rookie defenseman Moritz Seider extended his assist streak to five consecutive games, and fellow rookie Lucas Raymond picked up his ninth point in nine games. All are former first-round picks, and their success stokes confidence in the rebuild.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys playing important roles on our team, and so they need to play good hockey, because we don’t want to have guys on our team that are young and are playing and we’re losing,” Blashill said. “We want guys that are going to help us win hockey games.”
The Wings (4-3-2) largely have played competitive hockey through the first month of the season. When news broke during training camp that top-line winger Jakub Vrana would be sidelined through January with a shoulder injury, there was concern over how it would affect the Wings’ offense. But Raymond grabbed the opportunity to make the team and has responded by being an impact player. He and Seider have been fun to watch for Veleno, who played against them last season in the Swedish Hockey League.
“I was watching some games on nights I wasn’t playing in GR and they look like they belong out there,” Veleno said. “They’re great people and have got really good talent. Good for them. I’m really happy for them. They deserve it. They work hard. I’ve got to know a little bit of them over the years, Lucas not so much, just kind of in preseason, but just spending time with him, he’s a real good kid, is really passionate about the game. I’m really happy for him.”
If you missed it, Moritz Seider set a record last night:
Most assists by a D-man in their first 9 career games:
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) October 31, 2021
10- Will Butcher (2017)
8- Moritz Seider ('21) Getting 1 with the #RedWings vs TOR tonight
8- Phil Housley (1982)
8- Gary Suter ('86)
8- Alexei Zhitnik ('92)
8- Marek Zidlicky (2003)
8- Zach Werenski ('16)
8- Cale Makar ('19) pic.twitter.com/H8rNqkf6YX
