Joseph Veleno (What happened?)

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Joseph Veleno is an elite scoring forward. He gained exceptipnal status which allowed him to go into major junior hockey a year earlier than usual. Exceptional player status signifies that you're a very elite forward. He was able to do pretty well his first season in major junior hockey which he was able to compile 43 points in 62 games which is quite good considering being only 15. Later on in his major junior hockey career, he wasn't able to put up amazing totals. Some people considered him unworthy of the exceptional player status. When he reached the draft, he was said to be a top 15 pick in the NHL draft. When the draft began, teams kept passing on Joe Veleno because they were scared of his offensive upside. Finally, with the 30th pick, Detroit chose Joe Veleno. Joe Veleno's fall was a surprise to most. Detroit seemed quite excited to have attained Joe Veleno. After the draft, he returned to Drummondville and was able to compile an impressive total of 104 points in 59 games. Detroit has been very impressed with Veleno's scoring abilities. Joe Veleno is now one of the most important pieces in Detroit's rebuild. Veleno may not have been ready to join major junior hockey early, but he had proved that can eventually be a dangerous scoring forward. 

 

- Nathan MacKinnon