Joe Veleno
Joe Veleno is on the cusp of making the Red Wings on a full-time basis. On the weekend, Veleno played all three games in the Prospects Tournament. He was one of three alternate captains for all three games. Compared to previous years, Veleno looked bigger and stronger. At times, he looked like he was a man playing against boys.
At 19, Veleno scored 11 goals and 23 points in 54 regular season games with Grand Rapids (AHL). Last year, Veleno started the year in the SHL where he scored 11 goals and 20 points in 46 games. After his SHL season came to an end, Veleno played four games in the AHL and scored three points. He also played five games for Detroit and scored his first NHL goal against Columbus.
After two fairly successful seasons of playing professional hockey, Veleno seems ready to make the full-time jump to the NHL.
There are very few roster spots available on this team. If he has any chance of making the Red Wings out of camp, Veleno needs to play his way into the middle-six. Yzerman has stated that Veleno is better served playing on the top line in Grand Rapids compared to playing on the fourth line in Detroit.
At 21, Veleno has one more season before he needs to clear waivers before he can be assigned to the AHL. Without question, he will play for Detroit full-time next year. Is Veleno ready to bump someone out of a roster spot this year?