The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton wonders aloud where Joe Veleno fits into the Red Wings’ lineup, and he receives a succinct answer from Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde…
“I foresee him starting as our [fourth] center there,” coach Derek Lalonde told The Hockey News, when asked about Veleno’s current place in his lineup. “And he’s given us some good games at center. I think he’s a very valuable, versatile player. I like him at the wing at times too. He can play just a little bit North-South, create a little bit on the forecheck. If you recall last year, he had a little run with Larkin and Raymond, and it game them a huge boost because of his legs. He’s gonna start as a center, but he’s one of those versatile guys that can play both center and wing.” Lalonde added that there is a balance to strike between optimizing each individual player’s role with the overall health and effectiveness of the team, saying “It’s all connected. You’re playing to win every night, but you wanna do that to make your team successful [and put] guys [in a role] where they’re at their best.”
But Veleno himself sees room for growth:
When asked for his opinion on the next steps for his career, Veleno replied, “I wanna up my game in every situation. Every opportunity that I’m given, I wanna take advantage of that, keep striding in the right direction, being more consistent every night, just bringing that energy night in and night out…I wanna be a part of what’s going on here. I wanna be part of this trend moving forward, and I think we got something good going on.”
He went on to explain that he doesn’t see a dissonance between pushing for more offense and playing a reliable two-way game. Instead, for Veleno, the former follows from the latter. “I think it’s all about anticipation and reading the play and knowing when to be above guys and when to get those opportunities offensively,” he explained. “I’ve always been taught that if you’re well positioned defensively [and] don’t cheat the game, offense will come to you. If you’re always in the right spot, somehow you’ll be open and guys will find you. So I think just always being in the right spot defensively, it will lead to good offense. Sometimes it will even surprise you. You’re in a good spot defensively, and the next thing you know, a couple seconds later, you’re getting a Grade A chance in front of the net.”
Continued; really good stuff from Stockton here.
