The Detroit Red Wings selected Joe Veleno with the 30th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, signing him to a three-year entry-level deal on May 1st, 2019. He initially struggled to make the squad, but had been getting more opportunities this season and looked like he would finally crack a full-time spot on the roster.
That wasn’t entirely the case though and the question remains as to whether the team should allow him time to develop in the American Hockey League with the Grand Rapids Griffins, or have him play a less significant role with the Red Wings.
“Wherever he’s at, we want him to play meaningful minutes and be in position to thrive, not just survive,” Detroit head coach Jeff Blashill said, via The Detroit News.
“There are ways to earn meaningful minutes in both situations. In this situation, if he’s not up the lineup, he still has to learn how to do it right and by that, I mean how hard you have to compete to win puck battles and how you have to manage the puck and get pucks in and out, and those are lessons regardless if he’s playing a lot or a little. Those are things he critically has to learn.
“On the reverse side, when he’s down (in Grand Rapids), he has opportunities to do more with the puck and have opportunities, certainly on the power play.
“We’re balancing what is best for Joe Veleno and the Detroit Red Wings. Sometimes those worlds collide but we try to do the best we can to make sure the development of the player is paramount.”
Veleno has played 36 games in the NHL this season with Detroit, putting up four goals and three assists. He is currently averaging 12 minutes per game with the Red Wings, but is getting significantly more playing time with Grand Rapids when he is the lineup. He has only played 11 games with the Griffins this season, however, he has looked impressive during his time in the AHL with six goals and four assists.
Not all players have the ability to handle being sent back up and down from the NHL to the AHL like Veleno has this season, but Blashill believes the 22-year-old is more than capable of handling the current situation.
“Joe is in a spot in his maturity where he can handle going up and down a little bit,” Blashill said. “When a player comes over (to the AHL) he is learning his footing and it’s hard to call him up. Joe has been around enough, this is his third year of pro hockey, he can probably handle it a little bit, the up and down, and we don’t want it to be a rollercoaster, but it’s part of the mental toughness to be successful in this league.”
It’ll be worth keeping an eye on Veleno this season and how much time he spends with the Red Wings, but the team seems to be taking his development seriously and are hoping to get the most out of the youngster.
