At 30th Overall the Red Wings Select Centre Joe Veleno

[Pavels Dog]

Just for reference to see what a great pick this is, these kind of things were said earlier in the season:

Hypothetical: Detroit has the 9th pick in the draft. They draft... Joe Veleno.

How upset are you? Why?

Just don’t do it.

I like most the guys ranked in the top 15. Even warming up to the wingers, they’re all pretty talented. Just don’t reach on a center and we should get a good player. Praying to god we don’t do something dumb like draft Hayton.​

10th overall might be a little high for Veleno

I would guess he'll go ~10-15th

5-7 I would take a center like Kupari, Veleno or hope Boqvist falls.

I don't think this is the draft to take a center unless you're taking Veleno.

I see what could be a lefthanded Patrice Bergeron in Veleno.

etc etc.

Basically for a long time Veleno seemed like a realistic pick in the top 10.

 

[ChadS]

Bob McKenzie pre-season ranking:
5 - Joe Veleno
7 - Filip Zadina
11 - Jared McIsaac

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

If you want my input, I'd prefer it a bit later during the down time of the summer. Spread things out a bit.

I was thinking a couple days after UFA, the problem is we lose so many posters right after July 1. It turns into the same 10 posters talking prospects. Not much we can do about that I guess, but hopefully with this draft a few more people hang out and chat this summer than last.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Bob McKenzie pre-season ranking:
5 - Joe Veleno
7 - Filip Zadina
11 - Jared McIsaac

Emmerton and Pulkkinen were both top 10 players entering their draft years... Ferraro might have been as well.

I like these guys though, but sometimes there are reasons guys are falling.

 

[raymond23]

I was thinking a couple days after UFA, the problem is we lose so many posters right after July 1. It turn into the same 10 posters talking prospects. Not much we can do about that I guess, but hopefully with this draft a few more people hang out and chat this summer than last.

True, didn't think about that. A couple days in is probably a good time.

 

[Hatter of the Beach]

I don’t get why there’s such concern over his offense. He had similar numbers to E Svechnikov who we all creamed our pants for at 19 a few years back, and better numbers than a guy like Hayton, probably more than the difference between Q and the OHL would dictate.

I think he was both helped and hurt by his status as an exceptional player. He didn’t become the next phenom, so people are down on him relative to early expectations, yet still had 49 points in his last 33 games...

That production is almost always taken 20-30th (exceptions being unknowns like Debrincat) let alone for a player known for his two way game and high floor.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

I'm liking this kid. He's got some fire. That's exactly what I hoped to see. Feels like the Wings got some pretty motivated players.

So in their version of vengeance, Veleno is feeding Zadina the pucks that fill the nets against the Canadiens, Senators and Coyotes?
“I think I am going to help him do that,” Veleno said. “Our types of games are different — he is more of a scorer, and I’m more of a passer, so hopefully I can help him with that. But I mean, for any player who slides in the draft, obviously it kind of gets to you a little bit and you want to kind of shove it to the other teams that passed you.

He was so eager to start development camp he asked director of player development Shawn Horcoff if the ice was ready Monday.
“The kid wanted to come skate and work out yesterday,” Horcoff said. “He wanted to get on the ice. He wants to make an impression. He is disappointed with where he got drafted, which is impressive for us. He has come out and he’s confident he can score. We’re hoping he does, because that’s what we need. His play is going to tell if he is ready or not."

Detroit Red Wings: Draftee Joe Veleno wants to 'shove it' to rest of NHL

 

[SimplySolace]

I'm liking this kid. He's got some fire. That's exactly what I hoped to see. Feels like the Wings got some pretty motivated players.





Detroit Red Wings: Draftee Joe Veleno wants to 'shove it' to rest of NHL

2nd quote is actually about Zadina not Veleno, just prime HSJ writing. The same quote is also said in this article about Zadina: Zadina looking to make the jump from the QMJHL to the NHL

 

[newfy]

I don’t get why there’s such concern over his offense. He had similar numbers to E Svechnikov who we all creamed our pants for at 19 a few years back, and better numbers than a guy like Hayton, probably more than the difference between Q and the OHL would dictate.

I think he was both helped and hurt by his status as an exceptional player. He didn’t become the next phenom, so people are down on him relative to early expectations, yet still had 49 points in his last 33 games...

That production is almost always taken 20-30th (exceptions being unknowns like Debrincat) let alone for a player known for his two way game and high floor.

His unmbers with the sea dogs were bd but in cnotext they werent horrible. Hes a draft eligible, playmkaing center and was leading that team in points.He was point per game, no one else on the team was. He got traded to a solid team and put up really good numbers.

He might never be an offensive stud, but I think there a little bit of overscouting and disappointment he isnt McDavid/Tavares exceptional status type. If some average player produced like he did this year on a bad team then went off like he did, I think they would go higher than 30th

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

2nd quote is actually about Zadina not Veleno, just prime HSJ writing. The same quote is also said in this article about Zadina: Zadina looking to make the jump from the QMJHL to the NHL

Holy crap. I re-read it. That is just an awful paragraph. Like you wouldn't get away with that in high school English class, let alone professional journalism.

 

[Hatter of the Beach]

Holy crap. I re-read it. That is just an awful paragraph. Like you wouldn't get away with that in high school English class, let alone professional journalism.

"Professional"

 

[muchbetterthanlada]

 

[FunkyColdZadina]

Obviously not the best, but easily the most intriguing prospect from this year's draft for me. Love me some fast playmaking C's.

People are talking about how his inablity to live up to his exceptional status might have influenced scouts' opinions of him, but I wonder how it impacted him psychologically. Like obviously hes gotta realize he's not McDavid or Stamkos and that might not be the easiest thing to deal with as a 17 year old kid playing for their hockey future on a junior team like the Sea Dogs where he didn't have much help.

 

[Mister Ed]

His playing style has been compared to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and if he can be that 200 foot, 2-way, #2 Centre, I can live with that!

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

I really don't get the criticisms of this kid's offensive upside. He's not a total wizard, true, but the book on him hasn't been elite offensive player for like... two years now. It's been two-way center with great speed. And when I watch highlights, that's what I see. I found this clip last night, and I liked what I saw. It's a shift by shift from a playoff game with Drummondville.



But even then, the statistical argument that Veleno sucks just isn't there, IMO. I think we can agree that Zadina had good production at 82 points in 57 games, or 1.43 ppg. Veleno had 79 points in 64 games, or 1.23 ppg. And Zadina never had to play on the offensive black hole that was Saint John last year.

That's not to say that Veleno is anywhere near the offensive player that Zadina is, but he's not doing badly, either. I see no reason to think 40-50 point second line center is out of the question.

 

[Goalie guy]

I like what I have seen of him so far.

 

[shanman]

Ive said it before that I like the veleno pick, and people shouldn't be saying he better do well or we should have picked a d here. For me that honor goes to berggren. Most of the dmen that people wanted were still available there when we picked berggren. Personally, i would have gone with wilde and mcisaac as our two dmen prospects in that 2nd round instead of adding the winger in berggren. We shall see how that turns out with time at lesat.

 

[Frk It]

I really don't get the criticisms of this kid's offensive upside. He's not a total wizard, true, but the book on him hasn't been elite offensive player for like... two years now. It's been two-way center with great speed. And when I watch highlights, that's what I see. I found this clip last night, and I liked what I saw. It's a shift by shift from a playoff game with Drummondville.



But even then, the statistical argument that Veleno sucks just isn't there, IMO. I think we can agree that Zadina had good production at 82 points in 57 games, or 1.43 ppg. Veleno had 79 points in 64 games, or 1.23 ppg. And Zadina never had to play on the offensive black hole that was Saint John last year.

That's not to say that Veleno is anywhere near the offensive player that Zadina is, but he's not doing badly, either. I see no reason to think 40-50 point second line center is out of the question.

One of the criticisms I’ve seen is that he piled up a lot of his assists on the PP, which I guess 31 of his 57 assists came on the PP. Some think he needs extra time and space to produce, I don’t know if I buy it.

In contrast, only 20 of Zadina’s 82 pts came from the PP.

 

[BStinson]

Ive said it before that I like the veleno pick, and people shouldn't be saying he better do well or we should have picked a d here. For me that honor goes to berggren. Most of the dmen that people wanted were still available there when we picked berggren. Personally, i would have gone with wilde and mcisaac as our two dmen prospects in that 2nd round instead of adding the winger in berggren. We shall see how that turns out with time at lesat.

I think you’ll be happy with the Berggren pick in a few years. Kid is going to be a stud.

 

[shanman]

I think you’ll be happy with the Berggren pick in a few years. Kid is going to be a stud.

yeah i dont know much about him before draft, just heard a lot about if wings went BPA he was the clearcut choice in round 2. If wilde becomes a top 4 guy though berggren has to hit pretty well considering our need for D.

 

[Electric Eric]

One of the criticisms I’ve seen is that he piled up a lot of his assists on the PP, which I guess 31 of his 57 assists came on the PP.

Ras and him on the PP together might be a really fun duo then

 

[Tatar Shots]

Ras and him on the PP together might be a really fun duo then

Rasmussen is going to be taking advantage of guys with heavy shots on the PP. more like Veleno feeds Zadina who puts it on net while Rasmussen causes chaos and looks for a deflection/rebound.

 

[RedWingzz]

His unmbers with the sea dogs were bd but in cnotext they werent horrible. Hes a draft eligible, playmkaing center and was leading that team in points.He was point per game, no one else on the team was. He got traded to a solid team and put up really good numbers.

He might never be an offensive stud, but I think there a little bit of overscouting and disappointment he isnt McDavid/Tavares exceptional status type. If some average player produced like he did this year on a bad team then went off like he did, I think they would go higher than 30th

It's funny though how everyone is up in arms about "how terrible his numbers were with the Sea Dogs", yet his numbers with the Sea Dogs were better than Barrett Hayton's final numbers this year, and he went at 5 (albeit Sault St. Marie was a far deeper team than Saint John). Once Veleno found confidence with Drummondville he lit it up. His play-making skills are great, and I truly believe there is a chance he can end up as the best centerman in this draft. I'm not saying he "will" be better than Kotkaniemi/Hayton/Dellandrea, but he definitely "could" be. He's never gonna be a 35+ goal scorer, but I have no doubt in my mind he can score 20 in this league and chip in with some impressive assist numbers. We don't need him to be a go-to goal scorer though, Zadina will be filling everyone's nets with pucks.

 

[Henkka]

His playing style has been compared to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and if he can be that 200 foot, 2-way, #2 Centre, I can live with that!

Looks like young Filppula for me.

 

[Hatter of the Beach]

With Zadina, Larkin, Athanasiou (if he’s not traded) and Veleno, the Wings are going to be one of the fastesf forward groups in the league for awhile. Even our big guys like Mantha and Rasmussen are relatively fast foe their size