By the time pick number twenty rolled around in the 2018 NHL entry draft, the conversation among fans started to shift to “wow I can’t believe Joe Veleno is still on the board.” Red Wings fans didn’t think much of it because Veleno obviously wasn’t going to slip to pick thirty.

Hang on a minute…

Than the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues destroyed those hopes, trading up in the draft to surely nab the Drummondville center. But teams kept passing and Veleno’s nightmare fall ended when Detroit gladly took him at the end of the first round.

Now he is a Red Wing and one of the best prospects the club has had in years. He’ll be a key part of the future, but for now, he gives hope.

Also just a reminder that we still have two draft picks from the Tomas Tatar trade to go along with Veleno. Thanks Vegas!

Veleno is in a unique position that comes with both pros and cons. At fifteen years old, he was granted exceptional status to play in the CHL a year early and was the first player to do so in the QMJHL. Only four other players have been granted exceptional status: John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid and Sean Day. Those are some pretty nice names. So with that exceptional status he was given enormous pressure. When it started to become evident he wasn’t going to be the next Tavares or McDavid people started unfairly writing him off.

The one major pro is that he can be AHL eligible for the 2019-20 season, despite only being nineteen years old. This is because he will have completed four years in the CHL since he got an extra year in the QMJHL. That is huge for his development.

Looking at his stats, this is where scouts became skeptical of him being a top-5 talent. With the Saint John Sea Dogs he was always slightly under-producing. Then came the trade to Drummondville this past season. He started to look like the player many were searching for in Saint John. The change of scenery helped him take off, scoring forty-eight points in thirty-three games for the Voltigeurs.

Internationally he is a regular for Canada. He captained them at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka tournament, in which he was arguably their best player. Moving forward, he should be apart of the next two world junior teams (potential captain in the 2019-20 tournament) if he isn’t already in the NHL.

Be excited. Veleno doesn’t have to feel the same pressure he has always had. There are two top-10 picks in the system that the media can hound. He doesn’t have to be expected to become a first line center because Dylan Larkin is here. It truly is an ideal situation for Veleno to be in – he doesn’t have to be the guy.

At the same rate, he is still very talented and is shaping up to have a big upcoming season. A 100 point season is certainly a realistic outcome.

First round counterpart Filip Zadina has made it clear he’s out for vengeance against teams that passed on him, and Joe could be looking for the same.