| … Joe Veleno Assigned to Grand Rapids … DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today claimed defenseman Olli Juolevi off waivers from the Florida Panthers and assigned center Joe Veleno to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Juolevi, 23, has skated in 10 games with the Panthers this season, registering two penalty minutes and nine shots on goal in 12:27 average time on ice. The 6-foot-2, 182-pound defenseman has also appeared in three games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers this season, logging one assist and two penalty minutes. Juolevi has skated in 33 NHL games with Vancouver and Florida since 2020-21, totaling three points (2-1-3) and two penalty minutes. He appeared in one postseason game with the Canucks in 2019-20. Juolevi has also skated in 63 AHL games with the Utica Comets, notching 38 points (3-35-38) and 26 penalty minutes since making his North American professional debut in 2018-19. The Helsinki, Finland, native spent the 2017-18 campaign with TPS (Liiga), compiling 19 points (7-12-19) in 38 games. Originally drafted in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Canucks, Juolevi played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, recording 84 points (19-65-84), 52 penalty minutes and a plus-64 rating in 115 games with the London Knights from 2015-17. In 2015-16, Juolevi won the Memorial Cup and the J. Ross Robertson Cup with London and was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team after posting 14 points (3-11-14) over 18 postseason games. On the international stage, Juolevi represented Finland at the IIHF World Junior Championship three times (2016, 2017 and 2018), serving as team captain in 2017. At the 2016 WJC, he led all tournament defensemen with nine assists over seven games, helping Finland capture the gold medal. Veleno, 22, has split the 2021-22 season between the Red Wings and Griffins, tallying 10 points (5-5-10) and 16 penalty minutes in 40 games with Detroit and recording 10 points (6-4-10) and four penalty minutes in 11 games with Grand Rapids. Since making his NHL debut at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, the third-year pro has skated in 45 games with the Red Wings, totaling 11 points (6-5-11) 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 69 AHL games since 2019-20, Veleno has totaled 36 points (18-18-36) 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.   |
