from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

“I got some play some pretty good minutes and was trusted in all areas of the ice,” Veleno said. “It definitely boosted my confidence. Now I’ve got a little bit of a taste of it, how those NHL games are, and what to bring to the table. It was just good to have that experience.”

Veleno, 21, was assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins when the Wings’ season ended May 8; the Griffins are scheduled to wrap up Saturday, after which Veleno plans to return to the Montreal area for the offseason. That’s where he spent much of 2020, after COVID-19 shuttered sports in mid-March. The extra time Veleno (6 feet 2, 220 pounds) was able to spend working out and training paid off when he was loaned to the Swedish Hockey League in October. Veleno tallied 11 goals and nine assists in 46 games for Malmö, averaging around 16 minutes per game....

“He is bigger, he’s stronger,” Griffins coach Ben Simon said. “He’s playing with confidence. His experience in Europe, it’s helped him mature not only as a hockey player but as a person. He’s got a little bit more of a presence about him. That confidence is translating and correlating on the ice.

“He’s a high-end player who can make plays and he’s got the confidence to make plays. But his play away from the puck — he’s a pretty smart hockey player. He puts himself in good spots. He competes hard. He has a tremendous future ahead of him.”

more (paid sub.)

I ppsted this in the wrong place earlier today, now it is in its proper place.