montrealgazette.com
Summarize this content to 100 words:
Joe Veleno
is part of a very select group in hockey.
The Canadiens forward is one of only nine players ever granted exceptional status by the Canadian Hockey League to play major-junior hockey before turning 16. The Kirkland native is the only Quebec player on the short list.
John Tavares
of the Toronto Maple Leafs was the first to be granted exceptional-player status and was selected by the Oshawa Generals with the No. 1 overall pick at the 2005 OHL draft. Others on the list are
Aaron Ekblad
of the Florida Panthers (2011),
Connor McDavid
of the Edmonton Oilers (2012),
Sean Day
(2013), Veleno (2015),
Shane Wright
of the Seattle Kraken (2019),
Connor Bedard
of the Chicago Blackhawks (2020),
Michael Misa
of the San Jose Sharks (2022) and
Landon DuPont
of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips (2024).
Day, a 28-year-old defenceman, only played two games in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021-22 and is now with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders.
Veleno was the No. 1 overall pick at the 2015 QMJHL draft by the Saint John Sea Dogs after posting 16-36-52 totals in 41 games with the midget Triple-A Lac St. Louis Lions. As a 15-year-old with Saint John, Veleno had 13-30-43 totals in 62 games and the next season he helped the Sea Dogs win the QMJHL championship with 13-27-40 totals in 45 regular-season games and 8-3-11 totals in 18 playoff games.
The Detroit Red Wings selected Veleno in the first round (30th overall) of
the 2018 NHL Draft
and the following season — his last in the QMJHL — he had 42-62-104 totals in 59 games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
Just about every player in the NHL was a star in minor hockey. But going from a star player to accepting a fourth-line role in the NHL isn’t easy — especially for someone who had exceptional status as a junior.
But Veleno has learned this season to embrace that role with the Canadiens after signing a one-year, US$900,000 free-agent contract last summer.
“It’s definitely not easy mentally,” Veleno said during a one-on-one chat in the Canadiens’ locker room after Tuesday’s morning skate at the Bell Centre. “All your life growing up you’re always a first-line player and a star player. When you come to the NHL, kind of everyone was those kind of players growing up. It’s tough. Sometimes you look at some star players that don’t quite make it just because they can’t adapt their game to anything else. I learned my lesson pretty young with Detroit, getting called up my first few games. I had no choice but to create an identity where I was playing bottom six.
“I wanted to stick in the NHL, so I was doing anything I could,” Veleno added. “Then, over the year, I just kind of developed my defensive game a lot. If I’m not always going to score or get points, if I’m not going to be on the power play, then I got to make sure that I’m really solid defensively and can grab onto any kind of defensive role that was given to me. And it just kind of moved forward with that.”
Veleno was made a healthy scratch for the first five games this season, but got a spot in the lineup after Patrik Laine was sidelined with a core muscle injury. Veleno played the next 46 games, posting 2-2-4 totals and a minus-7 differential while winning 51.2 per cent of his faceoffs and ranking second on the team in hits with 111 — 14 fewer than Arber Xhekaj.
More importantly, Veleno earned the trust of St. Louis.
But Veleno’s stretch of consecutive games played ended when he was made a healthy scratch for Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Bruins in Boston, with Alexandre Texier and Kirby Dach both back in the lineup after recovering from injuries. Veleno will be a healthy scratch again Tuesday night against the Golden Knights.
St. Louis spoke last week about the tough decisions he would have to make once injured players started returning to the lineup and how the conversations with players coming out of the lineup are never easy, but it “starts with the truth.”
“He spoke to me and just wanted to tell me that there’s obviously going to be some decisions that are going to be made and just stay patient,” Veleno said about his conversation with St. Louis. “He likes what he’s seen. With the role he’s given me, I think I’ve kind of earned that trust in his eyes. Being effective on the penalty-kill, winning faceoffs, being able to close out games when we have a lead, and he’s able to trust me on the ice. It goes a long way with a player and a coach when they trust you on the ice.”
Playing in his hometown in front of friends and family at the Bell Centre has made this a very special season for Veleno.
“Everything I probably could have imagined,” the 26-year-old said. “It would be unreal to keep playing here. Everything about the city is unbelievable. The fans are passionate, the city comes alive when we’re doing well and it’s just a great hockey city to be a part of.”
scowan@postmedia.com
x.com/StuCowan1
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