News Article: Joe Veleno

[newfy]

It looks like he was captain of the Sabres too... and his hockeydb numbers are comparable to Larkin's. This was the "dead wings" era. So yeah if that's the bar we are setting them yes Larkin deserves to be the captain if we are committed to being terrible. So basically Hughes would then be our Yzerman...

If youre expecting the wings captain to always be an Yzerman/Lidstrom quality of player, youre never going to be happy. Larkin absolutely looks like a c aptain out there. He goes 100% all the time, is always improving, is playing like a top ~20 center this year and plays a really good defensive game as well. No, that isnt Yzerman quality but you know who wasnt Yzerman quality when he was named captain in the first place? Yzerman.

In the high scoring 80s Yzerman was coming off a 42 points in 51 game season. For his career to date, he was 7 points above point per game. For where he was drafted and the time he was playing that really wasnt sticking out that much. Kinda like Larkin really. Solid rookie season, a down year, then continual improvement to a first line quality player last year, to now a top ~20 center in the league. No he isnt going to be Yzerman, but hes a really good, young, first line player that shows leadership and will be in Detroit for years. Its so obvious that he should be captain that I cant believe even though youre against basically everything on here that you could be against that as well

 

[TatarTangle]

Standards don't matter then you're right. Next topic.

The topic is Veleno, or at least it was.

 

[Larkin2AA]

My entire point.

You're entire point was that, in your opinion, he hasn't earned it, not that there shouldn't be a rush to naming him Captain.

 

[Christien]

I have Veleno in the same tier of prospect as Larkin was. If his development is anything like Larkin’s was then it’ll be hard to not be happy. So far so good though. I’m excited to see where he’s at in training camp/preseason. To me, it all comes down to how bad he wants it, if he puts in the work I could see him being a comparable player to Larkin.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Replying to you comment out-of-context too, does it make sense?

Well mine actually did make sense, but I digress. You are apprehensive because to you a captain is directly tied to winning a Cup, and even though I don't really agree with, it's fine. Indirectly, absolutely I see the correlation, but there is no direct cause/effect to the captaincy resulting in championships. All a captain should be doing is setting the tone from the top for the team to follow. Meticulous attention to detail, the way things are done, the expectations that are held. If you have a good captain who is leading the team in all the ways I mention AND the coach has developed a good game plan and usage of his players AND the GM has built a team with a strong talent base at the NHL and minor league levels, then you can hope to win championships. It's an affair that needs inputs from every side, and you (general you) are just searching for the people that are suited to handle the job. I personally can isolate a winning team from a player having the qualities I am looking for, I think that's the disconnect we have.

 

[TheMule93]

Watching you guys argue with someone I have on ignore is pretty entertaining.

Lol that explains why I was so confused about what was going on here

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

You're entire point was that, in your opinion, he hasn't earned it, not that there shouldn't be a rush to naming him Captain.

Read my posts about this topic. Not talking about Larkin anymore in this thread

 

[LazyT]

I have Veleno in the same tier of prospect as Larkin was. If his development is anything like Larkin’s was then it’ll be hard to not be happy. So far so good though. I’m excited to see where he’s at in training camp/preseason. To me, it all comes down to how bad he wants it, if he puts in the work I could see him being a comparable player to Larkin.

I agree with you 100% on this. Veleno reminds me so much of a young Larkin honestly. ‘Helm with hands’ if anyone remembers those threads lol. I may be a bit biased but I truly feel that Veleno will be our best player from that draft. Zadina will be a good player in his own right but I love Veleno’s game and think it will translate well to the nhl.

 

[TCNorthstars]

The topic is Veleno, or at least it was.

Great point. Veleno will be introduced as the next captain of the Detroit Red Wings when he takes the ice as the 1st line C next season!

 

[Dotter]

I agree with you 100% on this. Veleno reminds me so much of a young Larkin honestly. ‘Helm with hands’ if anyone remembers those threads lol. I may be a bit biased but I truly feel that Veleno will be our best player from that draft. Zadina will be a good player in his own right but I love Veleno’s game and think it will translate well to the nhl.

Berggren looks like he might be a good one too.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

I have Veleno in the same tier of prospect as Larkin was. If his development is anything like Larkin’s was then it’ll be hard to not be happy. So far so good though. I’m excited to see where he’s at in training camp/preseason. To me, it all comes down to how bad he wants it, if he puts in the work I could see him being a comparable player to Larkin.

If he ends up being as good as Larkin that's a steal at pick 30.

 

[Shaman464]

I agree with you 100% on this. Veleno reminds me so much of a young Larkin honestly. ‘Helm with hands’ if anyone remembers those threads lol. I may be a bit biased but I truly feel that Veleno will be our best player from that draft. Zadina will be a good player in his own right but I love Veleno’s game and think it will translate well to the nhl.

If he is as good as Larkin, twenty scouts will lose their jobs. I am skeptical that he will be nearly that good, as were most teams in the NHL. And it wasn't like he was an unknown, he might be the most scouted prospect in the history of the NHL. And, prospect ranking aren't giving him much love at this point either, many people still believe that is maturity, compete level, and defense/2way play are much more likely to translate than his offense.

In the end, I would be over the moon if he's as good as Larkin, but the fact that he can have this kind of season and no ones batting an eye outside of the Wings board is one of many red flags.

 

[Goalie guy]

Berggren looks like he might be a good one too.

I thought he has been hurt? but yes he does for sure.

 

[SCD]

I do find it interesting that he was sent back to the Q with specific instructions to work on his offense and he has responded better than anyone could hope. Larkin and Veleno should provide an excellent tandem going forward.

Adding another center this draft would definitely improve the franchise outlook.

 

[Shaman464]

I do find it interesting that he was sent back to the Q with specific instructions to work on his offense and he has responded better than anyone could hope. Larking and Veleno should provide an excellent tandem going forward.

Adding another center this draft would definitely improve the franchise outlook.

I would still pump the breaks on this. He's playing great on a team with a lot of offensive weapons (the highest scoring team in the whole CHL), but until he plays against men, what his impact in the NHL will be is still very much in question.

 

[BStinson]

McDavid never lead Edmonton to game 7 of the second round and is a league MVP @ 20? Try again....

You never once mentioned league MVP as a qualifier for wearing ‘C’. I’m stuck on the point of why the second round of the playoffs is your standard/benchmark. Shouldn’t someone like McDavid be held to a different standard than Larkin or are we just waiting on getting a generational prospect to get a captain?

 

[Dotter]

I thought he has been hurt? but yes he does for sure.

i only watched him during training camp and read what ppl who watch him say. But was impressive at camp. He was better than both Veleno and Zadina at camp. He was all over the place, made the right plays and blew my mind.

 

[BStinson]

I would still pump the breaks on this. He's playing great on a team with a lot of offensive weapons (the highest scoring team in the whole CHL), but until he plays against men, what his impact in the NHL will be is still very much in question.

I agree, however, you have to admit it looks promising given his skating ability, hockey is, and character (yes I added that) that if he turns into a 2C that it was a great pick for 30.

 

[Shaman464]

I agree, however, you have to admit it looks promising given his skating ability, hockey is, and character (yes I added that) that if he turns into a 2C that it was a great pick for 30.

And, as we have seen with Mantha, Sproul, and now Ras, being dominate in the CHL doesn't mean coming into the NHL and doing the same. He needs to get to the AHL and show he can produce against men before I will be on the 'he could be a 2C' train.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

What a weird debate. When I watch Veleno, his NHL translatability jumps out at me. No, he's probably not going to be a pure skill guy. But his north-south game, skating, and defensive ability should be enough by themselves to get him to the NHL. If his offense translates, even better.

 

[Shaman464]

What a weird debate. When I watch Veleno, his NHL translatability jumps out at me. No, he's probably not going to be a pure skill guy. But his north-south game, skating, and defensive ability should be enough by themselves to get him to the NHL. If his offense translates, even better.

Its never been in doubt that he'd likely make the NHL. The question that dogs him to this day is will it be as a top 6 two way forward, or a bottom 6 energy/defensive guy. Most NHL scouts bet that its the latter.

 

[Fil Larkmanthanasiou]

Its never been in doubt that he'd likely make the NHL. The question that dogs him to this day is will it be as a top 6 two way forward, or a bottom 6 energy/defensive guy. Most NHL scouts bet that its the latter.

You're just making shit up.

 

[Shaman464]

You're just making **** up.

He was selected 30th. It means that 29 other players were evaluated to be better than him. Teams don't usually pass on player they think will be a top 6 center. And scouting reports at the time of the draft literally said the biggest question that dogged him was if he would be able to score at the NHL level.

 

[RedWingzz]

Its never been in doubt that he'd likely make the NHL. The question that dogs him to this day is will it be as a top 6 two way forward, or a bottom 6 energy/defensive guy. Most NHL scouts bet that its the latter.

After the draft last year, some people were saying that he may never be an NHL player, which seemed odd because he has all the tools to at worst, be a useful 3C.

Personally, I think you are selling him a bit short. His numbers are ridiculous. I understand your point, that many players have CHL success that never translates to the NHL, but I don't see this at all with Veleno. In my mind his floor now sits at a 2C. I will be extremely surprised if Veleno is not putting up 50 points per year in the NHL 3-4 years from now. He has the speed, he's responsible defensively, and he clearly has the offensive abilities. I still don't think he's ever a 30+ goal sniper in the NHL, but I am confident he's a 20 goal, 30+ assist NHL center.

 

[Shaman464]

After the draft last year, some people were saying that he may never be an NHL player, which seemed odd because he has all the tools to at worst, be a useful 3C.

Personally, I think you are selling him a bit short. His numbers are ridiculous. I understand your point, that many players have CHL success that never translates to the NHL, but I don't see this at all with Veleno. In my mind his floor now sits at a 2C. I will be extremely surprised if Veleno is not putting up 50 points per year in the NHL 3-4 years from now. He has the speed, he's responsible defensively, and he clearly has the offensive abilities. I still don't think he's ever a 30+ goal sniper in the NHL, but I am confident he's a 20 goal, 30+ assist NHL center.

You should be prepared to be surprised. His numbers come with a ton of qualifications, including playing on the best offensive team in the CHL, playing a full season more than other D+1s. Being mature physically and mentally. He has every reason going for him why he SHOULD be dominating the CHL. Until he can show it at the pro-level, I think saying his floor is second line center is going way overboard.