| … Griffins Set to Play Home-and-Home Series Against Rockford This Weekend … DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today assigned center Joe Veleno to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Veleno, 21, has split the 2021-22 season between the Red Wings and Griffins, tallying seven points (4-3-7) and 16 penalty minutes in 35 games with Detroit and recording seven points (5-2-7) and four penalty minutes in nine games with Grand Rapids. Since making his NHL debut at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, the third-year pro has skated in 40 games with the Red Wings, totaling eight points (5-3-8) and 20 penalty minutes. Veleno spent most of the 2020-21 campaign in Sweden, notching 20 points (11-9-20) in 46 games with the Swedish Hockey League’s Malmo Redhawks before returning to North America at the conclusion of the SHL season and recording one goal in five games for Detroit and three points (1-2-3) in four games for the Griffins. In 67 AHL games since 2019-20, Veleno has totaled 33 points (17-16-33) and 26 penalty minutes and led all under-20 skaters in scoring during his rookie AHL season. Originally drafted by the Red Wings in the first round (30th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Veleno turned professional at 19 after spending four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he racked up 266 points (90-176-266), a plus-82 rating and 106 penalty minutes in 230 games between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Drummondville Voltigeurs from 2015-19. In his final season of junior hockey, Veleno was named a QMJHL First-Team All-Star after finishing fourth in the league with 104 points (42-62-104) in 59 games with Drummondville. A 2017 QMJHL champion with Saint John, Veleno also produced 46 points (27-19-46), a plus-10 rating and 34 penalty minutes in 61 postseason contests. The Kirkland, Quebec, native also represented his country twice at the 2019 and 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships, combining for eight points (1-7-8) in 11 combined games and taking home a gold medal in 2020. He also took gold at the 2017 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and has totaled 26 points (4-22-26) in 29 games on the international stage for Canada.  -30- |
