Red Wings prospect Joe Veleno spoke with La Presse’s Katherine Harvey-Pinard regarding his offseason training regimen and his hopes of making the Red Wings’ roster full-time this upcoming season. What follows is roughly translated from French:
Joe Veleno is confident in the process
Joe Veleno has reached a new stage in his career by playing almost a complete first season in the NHL in 2021-2022. Although his development is not complete, the 22-year-old forward is hopeful that he’ll become an impact player.
A first-round pick, 30th overall, of the Red Wings in 2018, Veleno has spent the last few seasons in the American Hockey League–including 46 games in Sweden during the first pandemic year in 2020-2021.
Recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins by the Detroit Red Wings at the end of October, the Montreal native scored a goal and added an assist in his first game [vs. Toronto]. He was then able to play in 66 games in Gary Bettman’s league. The previous season, he only took part in 6 games in the red and white uniform.
“I gained a lot of experience. I had the chance to play in a lot of games this year, and see the difference between the American League and the NHL,” says the center, who we met at the Kevin Raphael Classic on August 6th.
Veleno says that he benefited from the advice of players like Dylan Larkin, Sam Gagner and Adam Erne. His playing time hovered between 10 and 13 minutes per game throughout the season, but it increased to over 17 minutes in the final six games.
At the end of the season, the Quebecer met with GM Steve Yzerman and the coaching staff.
“They liked some of the things I did this past season,” he says. “Then there are things that I can improve upon. That’s normal. I agree with them. I think that I can take it to another level, develop myself as a player.”
“I have a lot of developing to do, but it will come with experience and playing time,” he continues.
Patience
The Red Wings were particularly active when the free agent marketplace opened up in July. They signed forwards David Perron and Andrew Copp, and defenseman Ben Chiarot. The team, which missed the playoffs for the sixth time in as many years in 2022, appears to be accelerating its rebuild. But, from the start, Yzerman has been patient with his young players.
“There are a lot of opportunities and chances for me,” suggests Veleno. “I want to help the Red Wings become a competitive team that will make it into the playoffs. I think that it’s up to our young players, like me, and the other guys that are there to take our game to another level.”
The Red Wings recently hired a new coach, Derek Lalonde, at the end of June. Veleno is aware that he’ll have to fight for a position in a few weeks, at training camp.
“He’s a new coach, so you never know what to expect,” he said. “I’m excited to get to camp, to show what I’ve done over the summer, and how much I’ve grown as a player. I think that if I play my game, and that I’ve shown progress, it will be fine.”
