The weight is off his shoulders – Veleno ready to be exceptional

After the World Junior Summer Showcase in August, it seemed like Joe Veleno was on the outside looking in on Team Canada’s roster for the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship starting next month in Vancouver and Victoria, but with 14 points in his last four games, including a hat trick on Saturday night, Drummondville’s leading scorer just might hear his name when Hockey Canada announces their preliminary roster next week.

The first player from Québec granted exceptional status, Veleno struggled with the weight of the expectations that come with such a designation, but with a fresh start with the Voltigeurs last January, he’s really come into his own and seems to be more of a dominate player with every game he plays.

“Because he’s always played as an under-ager, he’s a kid that’s never had the chance to play against his peers and dominate guys his own age until now,” said Drummondville’s head coach, Steve Hartley. ”It was good for him to take a step back and have a fresh start and he had a great second half of the season last year and now that the draft is over, he knows that it doesn’t matter where you get picked or even if you get picked because it doesn’t change anything. You still have to work hard and continue to improve and earn your opportunities and he’s done that.

“The growth in his game from when he arrived in January to right now has been unreal,” he added.

The 18-year-old from Montréal is the first to admit that last year was a difficult one for him, but he also admits that he’s a much better player for having gone through it.

“I did a lot of work this summer improving my game and trying to be a better player, but it really all started with having a better mindset,” Veleno explained. “There was a lot of pressure on me to be better than good and to produce all the time and… be exceptional. I was always trying to do too much and, when I wasn’t successful, it wore my confidence down. When I got [to Drummondville], I don’t think I scored at all in my first ten games, but I knew it would come. I just tried to clear my head and focus on the good habits and try my best to get rid of the bad habits that weren’t giving me any success. Once I started doing the little things right and just played it simple and stopped trying to do too much, things got a lot easier for me and I started playing better and getting results.”

HUMBLED HIMSELF

He finished last season with 48 points in 33 games for Drummondville for a season total of 79 points in 64 games, plus 11 more in ten post-season games and three in four games for Team Canada at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship before being selected by the Detroit Red Wings 30th overall in the NHL Draft.

Having been discussed as a possible top ten selection, there’s no doubt Veleno’s draft stock fell, but he used it as an opportunity to humble himself, dial in on improving certain parts of his game and fuel his off-season workouts.

Known more as a passer and playmaker, the 6-foot-2, 192 pound centerman really wanted to focus on his shot this summer – having a better release and getting it off his stick quicker – and be more confident taking more shots this season.

“I think my speed, my vision and now my shot are my best assets on the ice,” he said. “With my speed, I like to challenge wide on the defensemen and, with my vision, just finding guys in open areas and having that hockey sense to know where they’re going to be and reading plays better and now being confident putting more pucks on net and making them count more often makes me a more dangerous offensive threat.”

Photo: Jerome Davis/Icon Sportswire

A STRONG START

After Detroit’s development camp in July, Veleno also decided to focus on his aggressive attack and intensity on both ends of the ice.

“I want to eliminate as much time and space for an opponent with the puck as possible,” he explained. “I want to pressure them and force them to make a mistake and steal pucks away and track back harder into the offensive zone. Once I’m doing that and using my speed, it doesn’t give much time for the defensemen or the forwards to stop me.”

That kind of strong defensive play was reinforced during his time with Team Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase in August. Working on it over the summer and implementing it this season is what’s helped him have such a strong start – 37 points in 23 games, currently tied for fifth in both points and goals (16) in the QMJHL, leads the league with five shorthanded goals and is second in plus-minus with a plus-22 – forcing the powers that be at Hockey Canada to give him strong consideration for the world junior team.

“I know I’m able to add offense, but now I’m also showing that I can play great defense too,” Veleno said. “That’s something they asked me to do and, if I’m going to be able to make that team, it’s going to be in more of a two-way defensive role, so I’m doing everything I can to be responsible in my own end and show that I can be used in all situations and contribute on both ends of the ice. To make this team and be successful at the next level, I need to be a more complete player and it’s been a big focus for me to improve on and I think you’re seeing all that work pay off with fewer defensive mistakes and more chances and more goals for me so far this season and I just hope they see it too.”

“MUCH BETTER”

In addition to his skill set, Veleno not only brings experience from playing in high-stakes games, but winning them as well. He was a key part in St John’s QMJHL Championship two years ago and also won gold at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial in 2017, not to mention the U18s this past spring. That kind of experience could prove valuable for a Canadian team with just a few returning players from last year’s gold medal team.

“He is so much better than he was last year,” Hartley stated. “He’s using his speed better. He’s more assertive. He’s attacking the net more. He’s relentless on pucks. He’s aggressive on the backcheck. He really is becoming more and more of a complete player with every game and all of that is going to help make him an NHL player, maybe even as soon as next year.

“People talk about the drop in the draft, but he is a very good player that works hard to improve every day,” he continued. “I think Hockey Canada and, eventually, the Detroit Red Wings will be really happy to have him. I know we are.”