Red Wings re-sign center Joe Veleno to contract

Veleno spent the 2022-23 season with the Red Wings, where he established a career-high nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points in 81 games. He tallied 30 penalty minutes, 85 shots on net, 152 hits and 44 blocked shots.

The 6-foot-1, 203-pound forward split the 2021-22 campaign between the Red Wings and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, where he tallied 15 points in 66 NHL games and 10 points in 11 AHL games with Grand Rapids.

Originally selected by the Red Wings in the first round, No. 30 overall of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Veleno has totalled 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points in 152 NHL games. He has also notched 36 points in 96 AHL games.

Before going pro, the Montreal product spent four seasons with the Saint John Sea Dogs and Drummondville Voltigeurs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) from 2015-19. 

Veleno became the first Quebec-born prospect to be granted exceptional player status by Hockey Canada in 2015. Veleno registered 90 goals and 176 assists for 266 points in 230 QMJHL games. 

In 2018-19, he was selected to the QMJHL First All-Star Team after ranking fourth in the league with 104 points in 59 games.

On the international stage, Veleno was a member of Canada’s gold-medal team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, recording five points in five games. 

Additionally, he also represented his country at back-to-back IIHF World Junior Championships in 2019 and 2020, earning a gold medal at the 2020 tournament.