News Article: Joe Veleno

[Run the Jewels]

If Athanasiou can hack it at center we could be absolutely loaded at that spot:

1C: 2019 pick
2C: Larkin (C)
3C: Athanasiou
4C: Veleno

Rasmussen clearly isn't a center which is fine I guess. Now if AA can be a high level 3C we are going to be absolutely stacked at center. I don't really worry about wing, that's easy to draft and develop and I'd actually trade some depth there if needed to build out defense.

Get the defense built quickly under Yzerman and we could be really good in 2022 or more likely 2023.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

I wonder if Veleno is hurt. His production has been a LOT lower these last few weeks. 1 assist tonight, that's it.

 

[wingsnut19]

I wonder if Veleno is hurt. His production has been a LOT lower these last few weeks. 1 assist tonight, that's it.

He's had 4 games where he's produced less than he had been, in the past week. Not a few weeks. In February he had 25 points in 12 games. His team just beat a team that had won 25 games in a row, who was also one of the other 4 games. Don't really see a reason to be worried about his production or his health.

 

[Oddbob]

If Athanasiou can hack it at center we could be absolutely loaded at that spot:

1C: 2019 pick
2C: Larkin (C)
3C: Athanasiou
4C: Veleno

Rasmussen clearly isn't a center which is fine I guess. Now if AA can be a high level 3C we are going to be absolutely stacked at center. I don't really worry about wing, that's easy to draft and develop and I'd actually trade some depth there if needed to build out defense.

Get the defense built quickly under Yzerman and we could be really good in 2022 or more likely 2023.

How is he clearly not a center? He has played what, 1 game in the NHL as a center at 19 years old and he is now written off?

 

[Hen Kolland]

If Athanasiou can hack it at center we could be absolutely loaded at that spot:

1C: 2019 pick
2C: Larkin (C)
3C: Athanasiou
4C: Veleno

Rasmussen clearly isn't a center which is fine I guess. Now if AA can be a high level 3C we are going to be absolutely stacked at center. I don't really worry about wing, that's easy to draft and develop and I'd actually trade some depth there if needed to build out defense.

Get the defense built quickly under Yzerman and we could be really good in 2022 or more likely 2023.

I’d be quite disappointed if Veleno is a replacement level player in his future. His performance this year tells me there’s a lot more offense to his game than what we were exposed to in his performance and all his scouting reports leading up to and after his draft. He was considered a bottom 6 type of center due to his lack of offense, but he answered the bell in a big way. I think at a bare minimum we have to project him as a 3C with a much higher ceiling.

He would be the ultimate piece to our core if he could find that X-factor that earned him exceptional status

 

[DetroitRed]

Earlier in this thread (I think it was in this thread!) a few of us were speculating about Veleno in the AHL. However, looking at him now, I wonder if he'll even spend any time there. I imagine he'd be an early call-up if he did start there next season.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Earlier in this thread (I think it was in this thread!) a few of us were speculating about Veleno in the AHL. However, looking at him now, I wonder if he'll even spend any time there. I imagine he'd be an early call-up if he did start there next season.

Give him a really good offseason of training with direction coming from Horcoff and Danny Cleary, maybe have him relocate to Detroit and train with Larkin in the offseason. I think he’s got some gifts. His skating and physically development is already further along than most, possibly even more so than Zadina.

I’d love to see him knock the doors down going into next year.

 

[Run the Jewels]

How is he clearly not a center? He has played what, 1 game in the NHL as a center at 19 years old and he is now written off?

I look at the lack of skill in terms of skating and stick work and he just seems like a winger. He'll be good in a net front role and should be able to win some faceoffs and board battles. If Athanasiou can't hack it as a center then maybe you live with Rasmussen as your 4C. I'm taking about having the best center lineup in the league from top to bottom in terms of skill and scoring.

 

[Run the Jewels]

I’d be quite disappointed if Veleno is a replacement level player in his future. His performance this year tells me there’s a lot more offense to his game than what we were exposed to in his performance and all his scouting reports leading up to and after his draft. He was considered a bottom 6 type of center due to his lack of offense, but he answered the bell in a big way. I think at a bare minimum we have to project him as a 3C with a much higher ceiling.

He would be the ultimate piece to our core if he could find that X-factor that earned him exceptional status

You're thinking about this the wrong way. What I'm looking at is the potential to have the best center depth in the league in terms of skill and scoring. Let's just do a short thought experiment and say we get Hughes in this draft. Here's what our scoring could look like:

Hughes: 100 point player
Larkin: 70-80 point player
Athanasiou: 50-60 point player
Veleno: 40-50 point player

How many teams in the league would be able to match that center depth or would have enough defense to deal with 4 lines with that amount of speed and skill?

Veleno should also be able to contribute to both specialty teams. He appears to be an elite PKer at this point, scoring loads of short handed goals. So he'd get plenty of 4v5 ice time.

Our defense is absolutely awful, so we should run our power play with 4 forwards, meaning we'd need 8 total forwards for both PP units. Those 4 centers would all be heavy contributors. Then you fill out your other 4 spots from Zadina, Bert, maybe Mantha, Rasmussen, etc.

When playing 5v5 and you are down late in a game you can move both AA and Veleno up to scoring lines to increase your chances of coming back and tying or winning the game.

Finally, in overtime you could always put one or two high quality centerman on the ice at all times who are all elite skaters. Lots of opportunities to win in OT.

We are mediocre or worse at everything. We could very easily become one of the best groups of centers with a little bit of lottery luck. This is why I like trying AA at center. Max Bultman wrote a nice article on this topic and I'm fully onboard.

The stakes of the Andreas Athanasiou experiment at center

 

[Hen Kolland]

You're thinking about this the wrong way. What I'm looking at is the potential to have the best center depth in the league in terms of skill and scoring. Let's just do a short thought experiment and say we get Hughes in this draft. Here's what our scoring could look like:

Hughes: 100 point player
Larkin: 70-80 point player
Athanasiou: 50-60 point player
Veleno: 40-50 point player

How many teams in the league would be able to match that center depth or would have enough defense to deal with 4 lines with that amount of speed and skill?

Veleno should also be able to contribute to both specialty teams. He appears to be an elite PKer at this point, scoring loads of short handed goals. So he'd get plenty of 4v5 ice time.

Our defense is absolutely awful, so we should run our power play with 4 forwards, meaning we'd need 8 total forwards for both PP units. Those 4 centers would all be heavy contributors. Then you fill out your other 4 spots from Zadina, Bert, maybe Mantha, Rasmussen, etc.

When playing 5v5 and you are down late in a game you can move both AA and Veleno up to scoring lines to increase your chances of coming back and tying or winning the game.

Finally, in overtime you could always put one or two high quality centerman on the ice at all times who are all elite skaters. Lots of opportunities to win in OT.

We are mediocre or worse at everything. We could very easily become one of the best groups of centers with a little bit of lottery luck. This is why I like trying AA at center. Max Bultman wrote a nice article on this topic and I'm fully onboard.

The stakes of the Andreas Athanasiou experiment at center

No I understand what you’re doing, I just think we have a different thought process. You are taking someone you have pegged as 40-50 point caliber player and putting him on the 4th line which will force him into roughly 12 minutes of ice time per game with players like Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader (replacement level) supporting his line. He would never be the 40-50 point guy. How many fourth line players do you know that are putting up that level of production?

I do agree having that level of depth would be an absolute nightmare for other teams and clearly very difficult to keep up with, but at a certain point you want to put good players with good players to maximize what they are able to produce.

If you look at your scenario of drafting Hughes (or Kakko) the forward group would be:
Larkin
Athanasiou
Mantha
Zadina
Bertuzzi
Rasmussen
Veleno
Hughes/Kakko

That’s 8 names, maybe Berggren is an option in a few years. I’m hoping that Svechnikov could fill in next year.

Instead of spreading out centers over 4 lines, you could assemble 3 very good top lines.

Bertuzzi-Larkin-Mantha
Hughes-Athanasiou-Zadina
Rasmussen-Veleno-Svechnikov

You’ve got talent up and down the top 3 lines. All of which should be able to generate offense on their own. But in that group you have 5 players who can potentially play center, you can mix and match to figure out what works best for your preference.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

You're thinking about this the wrong way. What I'm looking at is the potential to have the best center depth in the league in terms of skill and scoring. Let's just do a short thought experiment and say we get Hughes in this draft. Here's what our scoring could look like:

Hughes: 100 point player
Larkin: 70-80 point player
Athanasiou: 50-60 point player
Veleno: 40-50 point player

How many teams in the league would be able to match that center depth or would have enough defense to deal with 4 lines with that amount of speed and skill?

Veleno should also be able to contribute to both specialty teams. He appears to be an elite PKer at this point, scoring loads of short handed goals. So he'd get plenty of 4v5 ice time.

Our defense is absolutely awful, so we should run our power play with 4 forwards, meaning we'd need 8 total forwards for both PP units. Those 4 centers would all be heavy contributors. Then you fill out your other 4 spots from Zadina, Bert, maybe Mantha, Rasmussen, etc.

When playing 5v5 and you are down late in a game you can move both AA and Veleno up to scoring lines to increase your chances of coming back and tying or winning the game.

Finally, in overtime you could always put one or two high quality centerman on the ice at all times who are all elite skaters. Lots of opportunities to win in OT.

We are mediocre or worse at everything. We could very easily become one of the best groups of centers with a little bit of lottery luck. This is why I like trying AA at center. Max Bultman wrote a nice article on this topic and I'm fully onboard.

The stakes of the Andreas Athanasiou experiment at center

This is very ambitious and frankly unrealistic.

 

[obey86]

Earlier in this thread (I think it was in this thread!) a few of us were speculating about Veleno in the AHL. However, looking at him now, I wonder if he'll even spend any time there. I imagine he'd be an early call-up if he did start there next season.

honestly, I think he makes the NHL team next season and skips the AHL.

 

[Run the Jewels]

This is very ambitious and frankly unrealistic.

Clearly you don't like the idea of all our centers being piranhas with jet packs.

 

[Snuggs]

Idk, little early for me to tell. Give him the summer/offseason stuff. Look at him well see how's he's doing up till it's time to finalize the roster.

I prolly wouldn't mind him starting out in the AHL on a top line vs playing the fourth line here for a season. Our AHL team should get a insurgence of good talent through our draft picks the next couple seasons. Wouldn't hate watching Veleno develop with them on a top line for a season or even two.

If he's ready though he's ready and you move someone to make room for him.

 

[Dotter]

Hughes: 100 point player
Larkin: 70-80 point player
Athanasiou: 50-60 point player
Veleno: 40-50 point player

How many teams in the league would be able to match that center depth or would have enough defense to deal with 4 lines with that amount of speed and skill?

Tampa, easily

Pens. And probably about 5 more that I am not thinking of right now.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Tampa, easily

Pens. And probably about 5 more that I am not thinking of right now.

In the scenario that RTJ proposes with their point distribution, that would be maybe the best team down the middle in the league.

 

[Shaman464]

Clearly you don't like the idea of all our centers being piranhas with jet packs.

I prefer the shark with laser model, to be honest.

 

[Run the Jewels]

I prefer the shark with laser model, to be honest.

You're a San Jose fan? Gross. :barf:

 

[Oddbob]

I look at the lack of skill in terms of skating and stick work and he just seems like a winger. He'll be good in a net front role and should be able to win some faceoffs and board battles. If Athanasiou can't hack it as a center then maybe you live with Rasmussen as your 4C. I'm taking about having the best center lineup in the league from top to bottom in terms of skill and scoring.

So now he is only going to get as high as 4C? AA has skating and stick work, and he sucks at center.

 

[Pavels Dog]

You're thinking about this the wrong way. What I'm looking at is the potential to have the best center depth in the league in terms of skill and scoring. Let's just do a short thought experiment and say we get Hughes in this draft. Here's what our scoring could look like:

Hughes: 100 point player
Larkin: 70-80 point player
Athanasiou: 50-60 point player
Veleno: 40-50 point player

How many teams in the league would be able to match that center depth or would have enough defense to deal with 4 lines with that amount of speed and skill?

I think trying AA at C is as much about forcing him to show up to work everyday as it actually is about wanting him there long-term. If we draft Hughes and Veleno pans out as an NHL C, I see no way AA actually stays in the middle. It would be such a waste when you can instead run a 3rd line that has Veleno + AA as a fantastic depth scoring threat.

 

[lilidk]

I think trying AA at C is as much about forcing him to show up to work everyday as it actually is about wanting him there long-term. If we draft Hughes and Veleno pans out as an NHL C, I see no way AA actually stays in the middle. It would be such a waste when you can instead run a 3rd line that has Veleno + AA as a fantastic depth scoring threat.

I believe Blashill keep AA as center, just to make him a better player overall and keep us in a hunt for Better draft pick.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Zero points on 4 Drummondville goals so far. Have we stopped to consider that he might have been cursed?

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

TWO! points. The curse has been lifted.

 

[Jakeybonz]

you guys had such an awesome draft. who would imagine getting zadina and veleno picking 6th and 30th. its like you picked 3rd and 15th.

 

[lilidk]

you guys had such an awesome draft. who would imagine getting zadina and veleno picking 6th and 30th. its like you picked 3rd and 15th.

We might do better this year