Detroit Red Wings: When the Dust Settles Veleno will be Junior Bound

The Detroit Red Wings drafted Joe Veleno with the 30th pick in this past NHL Entry Level Draft.  The 18-year-old forward has had an excellent camp.  Joe is unfortunately already destined to be returned to his junior club the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Veleno has created a lot of buzz this summer with his puck carrying ability through the prospects tournament, then camp and now after his first preseason game.  The Detroit Red Wings see Veleno as a tremendous skater; he has the skill and ability to lug the puck from end to end.

Joe Veleno was granted ‘exceptional status’ which allowed him to start his junior hockey career a year early than most at the age of 15.  Veleno primarily centered a line that included Michael Rasmussen and Justin Abdelkader in his first preseason game last evening.

I am under the impression Joe Veleno is headed back to Drummondville no matter how well he performs.  Joe Veleno this summer, is the Michael Rasmussen of last season.  Ras had an outstanding camp last year and was sent packing because the Detroit Red Wings had to many forwards.

Joe Veleno may open eyes, but Ken Holland and company have so many below average, aging veteran players who are log jamming the Detroit Red Wings line-up.  Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm, and Luke Glendening are expected to start the season as the fourth line.  That is a combined  9.85 million per season skating as the fourth line.  Thanks Kenny, that’s just laughable.

Per Helene St. James of freep.com, Jeff Blashill’s thoughts on what he’s seen so far from Veleno;

"“I thought as the camp went along he just got better and better,” coach Jeff Blashill said Wednesday morning. “He really started to show me some real things.“I always look to see, what’s an elite skill that a player has that’s going to allow that to be transferable to the NHL? For him, I wasn’t sure what it was at first. He’s definitely a good transporter of the puck from one end to the other, but his edges are excellent. I mean he can really create space with his edges and then he makes lots of plays in small areas. Those two things can be extraordinarily important here in the NHL.”"

Filip Zadina, Martin Frk, Luke Witkowski, and Evgeny Svechnikov will all battle for final roster spots.  It is an easy decision in the mind of Ken Holland to send away Joe Veleno.  Veleno is junior eligible for a couple more seasons.  It is a way for Holland to bury the youngster until Holland can clean out the kitchen.  The kitchen mess he created by the way.

Even if Veleno lights it up for the Detroit Red Wings in his preseason appearances, Ken Holland and Jeff Blashill will take the same approach as they did with Ras.  The front office will tell us Veleno needs to be more polished.  Junior hockey will allow him to work on the areas in his game that he needs to improve on before he becomes a regular professional.

I wish the Detroit Red Wings had cleared out a couple of bottom six roster spots prior to the start of preseason.  It would allow a younger forward to play as a regular this season.  Instead of that rich fourth line that was previously mentioned, it would be nice to field a line like Svechnikov Helm Frk.  Or if Veleno does continue to shine, Svechnikov, Veleno, Frk.

It’s unfortunate but what else can I say.  When we open our eyes and read the writing on the wall, it tells us that we are still in a Ken Holland veteran-loving, long-term-deal signing penitentiary.