Joseph Veleno (born January 13, 2000) is a Canadian ice hockey forward for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 30th overall by the Red Wings in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Joe Veleno
Born (2000-01-13) January 13, 2000 (age 24)
Kirkland, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams
Detroit Red Wings
Malmö Redhawks
National team  Canada
NHL draft 30th overall, 2018
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 2019–present

Playing career

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On June 4, 2015, Veleno became the first player from Quebec to be granted exceptional player status allowing him to play as a 15-year old in major junior hockey[1] which led to him being selected 1st overall in the 2015 QMJHL draft by the Saint John Sea Dogs on June 7, 2015.[2] He is the fifth player to be granted exceptional status, with the preceding four being John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, and Sean Day.

On December 8, 2017, it was announced that Veleno had been traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for three first-round selections (in 2018, 2019 and 2020) and two second-round selections in the QMJHL draft.[3] and ended the season with 79 points in 64 games.

Veleno was selected in the first round 30th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2018 NHL entry draft. During the 2018–19 QMJHL season, in just 59 games with Drummondville, he produced 42 goals and 62 assists for a 104 total points, helping the Voltigeurs reach the semi-finals of the QMJHL playoffs, when he produced a further 8 goals and 9 assists in 16 games.

On May 1, 2019, Veleno signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Red Wings.[4]

He did not make the Red Wings roster out of training camp, and began the 2019–20 season with the Wings AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

With the 2020–21 NHL season delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the possibility of an AHL season in doubt, Veleno was loaned to Swedish club, the Malmö Redhawks for the 2020–21 season. Due to Swedish Hockey League rules, he was ineligible to return to North America until the Redhawks season concluded.[5] In 46 appearances with the Redhawks, Veleno contributed with 11 goals and 20 points, before ending his loan in Sweden to be reassigned by the Red Wings to the Grand Rapids Griffins on April 10, 2021.

Veleno made his NHL debut for the Red Wings against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 27, 2021.[6]

International play

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Medal record
Representing   Canada
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
  2023 Finland/Latvia
World Junior Championships
  2020 Czech Republic
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
  2017 Czech Republic/Slovakia

From 2015-18 Veleno played for Canada at under-17 and under-18 levels. He was selected to represent Canada at junior (under-20) level in the 2019 World Junior Championship, where he recorded two assists in five games. He returned for the 2020 edition, scoring one goal and five assists in six games; Canada won the gold medal.

Veleno made his debut for the full Canada team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded three goals and two assists in five games. During a game at the tournament against Switzerland, Veleno stamped on Swiss player Nino Niederreiter's calf with his skate blade. The referees did not issue a penalty, but a later disciplinary hearing suspended Veleno for five games.[7]

Personal life

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Veleno is of Italian descent.[8] He was born in Kirkland, Quebec and still lives there in the offseason.[9] His favourite team as a child was the Washington Capitals and his favorite player was Alexander Ovechkin.[10] In addition to hockey, Veleno also played soccer and lacrosse as a child. He is fluent in English, French, and Italian.[9]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Lac St-Louis Lions QMAAA 41 16 36 52 57 12 2 2 4 12
2015–16 Saint John Sea Dogs QMJHL 62 13 30 43 21 17 6 1 7 8
2016–17 Saint John Sea Dogs QMJHL 45 13 27 40 18 18 8 3 11 4
2017–18 Saint John Sea Dogs QMJHL 31 6 25 31 26
2017–18 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 33 16 32 48 22 10 5 6 11 10
2018–19 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 59 42 62 104 19 16 8 9 17 12
2019–20 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 54 11 12 23 18
2020–21 Malmö Redhawks SHL 46 11 9 20 20
2020–21 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 4 1 2 3 4
2020–21 Detroit Red Wings NHL 5 1 0 1 4
2021–22 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 11 6 4 10 4
2021–22 Detroit Red Wings NHL 66 8 7 15 22
2022–23 Detroit Red Wings NHL 81 9 11 20 30
2023–24 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 12 16 28 25
SHL totals 46 11 9 20 20
NHL totals 232 30 34 64 81

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2015 Canada Black U17 8th 5 1 3 4 6
2016 Canada IH18 5th 4 0 4 4 2
2017 Canada IH18   5 2 5 7 8
2018 Canada U18 5th 4 0 3 3 0
2019 Canada WJC 6th 5 0 2 2 0
2020 Canada WJC   6 1 5 6 8
2023 Canada WC   5 3 2 5 2
Junior totals 29 4 22 26 24
Senior totals 5 2 3 5 2

References

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  1. ^ "2015 QMJHL Draft Preview: Veleno declared exceptional status, likely to be taken first". Yahoo Sports. June 5, 2015.
  2. ^ "Saint John Sea Dogs take Joseph Veleno 1st overall at QMJHL draft". CBC News. June 7, 2015.
  3. ^ "Saint John Sea Dogs trade Joe Veleno to Drummondville". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  4. ^ Kujawa, Kyle (May 1, 2019). "Red Wings sign 2018 first-round pick Joe Veleno". NHL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  5. ^ "Red Wings' prospect Joe Veleno loaned to Swedish club for 2020-21 season". mlive. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  6. ^ "Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets - Box Score - April 27, 2021".
  7. ^ "IIHF - Canada's Joe Veleno Suspended".
  8. ^ "Joseph Veleno, un véritable poison". Info07 (in French). Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Joe Veleno". Grand Rapids Griffins. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Cowan: Kirkland phenom Joe Veleno shows polish on way to Memorial Cup". Montreal Gazette. May 18, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Detroit Red Wings first-round draft pick
2018
Succeeded by