RED WINGS ADD JOE VELENO WITH 30TH OVERALL PICK IN 2018 NHL ENTRY DRAFT
The Detroit Red Wings selected center Joe Veleno in the first round (30th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Veleno is an 18-year-old center from Kirkland, Quebec, who split the 2017-18 campaign between the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Saint John Sea Dogs and Drummondville Voltigeurs. Veleno served as captain of the Sea Dogs and produced 31 points (6-25-31) in 31 games prior to being acquired by the Voltigeurs, where he racked up 48 points (16-32-48) in 33 games. His 79 combined points (22-57-79) ranked 10th in the QMJHL, just three spots behind Filip Zadina, who Detroit took with the sixth overall pick in the draft, and he tied for third in the league in assists. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound forward also tied for the team lead with 11 points (5-6-11) in 10 playoff games.
Veleno has logged three seasons in the QMJHL, as he was just the fifth player in the history of the Canadian Hockey League (along with John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid and Sean Day) to be granted Exceptional Player Status by Hockey Canada, allowing him to play major junior hockey as a 15-year-old. In 171 QMJHL games, he has produced 162 points (48-114-162). He won a QMJHL championship with Saint John in 2016-17, logging 40 points (13-27-40) in 45 regular-season games, 11 points (8-3-11) in 18 playoff games and four points (3-1-4) in four CHL Memorial Cup games.
On the international stage, Veleno has made several appearances for Canada, highlighted by a gold medal win at this season’s Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, in which he served as captain and paced the team with seven points (2-5-7) in five games. He also logged three points (0-3-3) in four games at the 2018 World Under-18 Championship and four points (1-3-4) for Canada Black at the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft marks the first time that the Red Wings have picked twice in the first round since 1978. Detroit currently has nine selections for the second day of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft: two in the second round (33rd and 36th), three in the third round (67th, 81st and 84th), one in the fourth round (98th), two in the sixth round (159th and 160th) and one in the seventh round (191st).
Joe Veleno, Center
Born Jan 13 2000 — Kirkland, PQ
Height 6.01 — Weight 191 — Shoots L
Selected by Detroit Red Wings round 1 #30 overall 2018 NHL Entry Draft
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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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
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