Veleno finished with 12 goals, 16 assists and a minus-16 rating through 80 games of the 2023-24 campaign.
Veleno established new career highs for goals and helpers, but that should be taken with a grain of salt, as this was just his fourth year in the league, including a five-game sample in the 2020-21 campaign. When Veleno was drafted in the first round (No. 30 overall) in 2018, the consensus thought among hockey pundits was that the skilled forward would rapidly evolve into a top-six skater with heavy utilization on the power play, but that hasn't materialized. Veleno took a pay cut ahead of last season and ended up with a one-year, $825,000 contract to remain with the Wings. The 24-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent after showing modest improvement this season.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Good to go Thursday
Rotowire
Veleno (head) will play Thursday versus the Coyotes, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.
Veleno will play Thursday after taking a puck off the head or neck in the second period of Tuesday's game versus the Sabres. The 24-year-old will play in a middle-six role between Michael Rasmussen and Patrick Kane. With Veleno good to go and Austin Czarnik called up, Daniel Sprong will be a healthy scratch.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Won't finish contest
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Veleno won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Sabres after taking a puck to the head in the second period.
Veleno was struck by a Connor Clifton shot and immediately left the contest. The 24-year-old Veleno has been in a top-six role due to Dylan Larkin (lower body) being out. With Larkin not expected back for another week, Veleno's absence will likely force the Red Wings to make a roster move.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Net positive effort Saturday
Rotowire
Veleno posted an assist and six PIM in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Flames.
Veleno was whistled for roughing, hooking and holding throughout the contest, but Wings goalie James Reimer stood on his head and the penalty-killing units were on point to let the winger off the hook. Most importantly, Veleno added his fifth point in the last six games, with the hot streak comprised of two goals and three helpers. The third-line contributor continues to sprinkle in offense, having already established career highs in goals (10), assists (13), and power-play points (five) through 52 games.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Strikes on power play
Rotowire
Veleno scored a power-play goal on two shots, added two hits and went minus-2 in Tuesday's 8-4 loss to the Oilers.
Veleno scored midway through the second period to cut the Red Wings' deficit to 3-2. The 24-year-old has two goals and two assists over his last four games, with three of those points coming on the power play. While he's seeing bottom-six usage at even strength, he's also on the second power-play unit. The Quebec native has 10 goals, 22 points (five on the power play), 58 shots on net, 56 hits and a minus-13 rating through 50 appearances in what's already been a career year.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Delivers assist on way to win
Rotowire
Veleno provided an assist in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Kings.
With eight goals and nine assists through 40 games, Veleno finds himself four points away from establishing a new career high. The Red Wings have given Veleno plenty of opportunities to shine since drafting him 30th overall in 2018, and this is a pivotal year in terms of proving his worth given that he's on an expiring contract with a cap hit set at a mere $825,000. Veleno is due to become a restricted free agent in the summer.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Tucks in wrap-around goal
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Veleno scored a goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Ducks.
Veleno was just able to squeak in a goal on a wrap-around in the second period, though it required video review to confirm. The 23-year-old center has picked up three points over his last four games since he missed two contests with an undisclosed injury. He's been solid in a middle-six role this season with 16 points, 50 shots on net, 28 hits and a minus-9 rating over 38 appearances.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Notches helper Thursday
Rotowire
Veleno recorded an assist in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over the Kings.
Veleno has two helpers over three contests since he returned from an undisclosed issue. The 23-year-old shifted back to center after a run of time on the wing, covering for Andrew Copp's (lower body) absence Thursday. Veleno has been a solid depth forward this season, racking up 15 points, 48 shots on net, 27 hits and a minus-11 rating over 37 appearances. His uptick in offense and drop in physicality leaves him on the fringe of fantasy relevance in standard formats.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Returning to action Sunday
Rotowire
Veleno (undisclosed) will be back in the lineup versus Boston on Sunday.
Veleno missed both games after the Christmas break. He has only one assist in his last six games, giving the center seven goals and 13 points in 34 contests. Veleno is expected to return to his role as a top-six forward, but his time on the power play may be limited, as he received no work with the man advantage in his last two games.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Not expected back Friday
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Veleno (undisclosed) is slated to miss Friday's game versus Nashville, Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News reports.
Veleno is currently mired in a seven-game goal drought during which he's recorded 13 shots and three assists. For now, David Perron looks set to take on a top-six role against the Predators but Veleno should be in the mix to reclaim that spot once given the all-clear. Veleno did practice Thursday, which could set him up to return against Boston on Sunday.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Out with undisclosed injury
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Veleno will not be available against Minnesota on Wednesday due to an undisclosed injury, Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News reports.
Veleno has racked up 13 points in 34 games this season and should be a near-lock to top the personal best he set last season (20 points), barring an extended injury absence. With Veleno out of the lineup, both Michael Rasmussen and Jonatan Berggren figure to be candidates to move into a top-six role.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Secures helper in barnburner
Rotowire
Veleno registered an assist in Friday's 7-6 shootout win over the Flyers.
Veleno has picked up two goals and five points over 11 games in December. While those are pedestrian numbers from a fantasy perspective, it's worth noting that Veleno has been getting more looks on the power play after he'd been excluded from that spot during the first month of the season.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Finds twine on power play
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Veleno scored a power-play goal on two shots, blocked two shots, added two PIM and went minus-2 in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Stars.
Veleno led the Red Wings' skaters with 22:11 of ice time. He was able to knock in a loose puck for their third goal, but a comeback push didn't materialize. Veleno has a modest four points over his last 13 outings, giving him seven goals, three assists, 32 shots on net, 21 hits, six PIM and a minus-2 rating through 27 contests overall.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Pots sixth goal
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Veleno opened the scoring in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win over the Canadiens.
Veleno was in perfect position for his goal once Lucas Raymond's shot pinballed off the pad of goaltender Jake Allen. While Veleno hasn't had more than three shots in a given contest, he's been accurate with his attempts, managing six goals through 23 games and turning in a remarkable 22.2 shooting percentage. He's registered only three helpers, but it's safe to say that overall, Veleno is currently exceeding the value of the $825,000 contract extension that he signed ahead of this season.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Five goals in last five games
Rotowire
Veleno scored a goal Saturday in a 4-1 loss to Boston.
It was his fifth goal in as many games. Veleno tucked a shot into the top right corner past Jeremy Swayman at 6:40 of the third period. He has six points in nine games. At this rate, Veleno will shatter his career best nine goals and 20 points from last season, but this will be a difficult pace to keep up over the course of the year.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Scores in third straight
Rotowire
Veleno tallied a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Kraken.
Veleno opened the scoring early in the second period Tuesday, deflecting an Olli Maatta shot over the shoulder of Joey Daccord to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead. It's been quite a run for the 23-year-old Veleno, tallying four goals in his last three games after scoring just nine goals with 11 assists in 81 games last season. While it's unlikely he'll provide offense at his current rate, Veleno could be a decent secondary-scoring option while centering David Perron and Daniel Sprong on Detroit's third line.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Lights lamp twice in Ottawa
Rotowire
Veleno scored his first two goals of the season in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Senators.
The 23-year-old produced the first two-goal game of his career while also supplying Detroit's only offense at even strength -- the team's other three tallies came on the power play. Veleno set modest career highs with nine goals and 20 points in 81 games last season, and while he could top those numbers in 2023-24 as the roster around him continues to improve, his checking-line role and lack of ice time with the man advantage won't make him a consistent offensive threat.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Mired in another slump
Rotowire
Veleno hasn't recorded a point since Feb. 13.
Veleno has 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) this season, which represents a career high, but he's gone 19 straight games without a single goal or helper. The waivers-exempt winger is in a contract year as a pending restricted free agent, though it's tough to see Veleno having much leverage in contract negotiations given his inconsistent ways.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Sets new career high in points
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Veleno produced an assist and two PIM in Monday's 6-1 win over the Canucks.
The helper was Veleno's first since Jan. 10, and he had just two goals in the 12 games in between. The 23-year-old center set a new career high with 16 points through 51 outings this season. He's added 56 shots on net, 98 hits, 26 blocked shots, 16 PIM and a plus-1 rating while filling a bottom-six role for much of the campaign.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Ends four-game point drought
Rotowire
Veleno scored a goal in Detroit's 5-2 loss to Edmonton on Tuesday.
Veleno's marker came at 19:51 of the second period and narrowed Edmonton's lead to 3-2. He has seven goals and 15 points in 48 contests this season. Veleno was held off the scoresheet in his previous four contests.
