There was no solo lap for Joe Veleno in his NHL debut, but he was welcomed to the show in warmups just the same. Because at the other end of the ice, a few strides away, stretching and shooting and circling the zone just like No. 90 in white, were big-timers like Seth Jones and Patrik Laine.
Asked what that was like following his first game with the Red Wings in Tuesday night's shootout loss to Columbus, Veleno neither shrugged it off nor shied away.
"It’s quite surprising knowing that you’re playing on the same stage as those guys," he said. "They’re superstars in the league, and for me to be out there on the ice with them is pretty special and kind of shocking to me. But I kind of told myself, 'I’m here now and this is what it’s going to be if I want to play in the NHL. You’re going to have to go up against the best of the best.' And hopefully that’s going to be me one day, someone else saying that."
It's not out of the question, judging by his pedigree. Veleno was a first-round pick in 2018. Or judging by his performance this season in the Swedish Hockey League, where the 21-year-old finished third on his team in goals and made important strides as a two-way center. Or even judging by his first impression Tuesday night when Veleno earned 14:59 of ice time in a scoreless game.
"I thought No. 1, he was strong on the puck and strong on his stick," said Jeff Blashill. "Played a 200-foot game, had some opportunities. I thought he played a good hockey game. He looked like a guy who’s played two years pro and was ready for the opportunity to skate in the NHL."
Veleno isn't billed as a potential superstar. More likely, he's a second- or third-line center on a Red Wings team that's ready to win. But every successful rebuild needs jolts from new joists. Every consistent contender needs greatness in places it wasn't promised. In Veleno's words, hopefully that's going to be him one day.
In Blashill's words, "If we think he's ready to play, we want to see what he's got." On Tuesday, that included a shift late in the third at four-on-four and another in OT. The coach doesn't hand out those chances for free.
"They’re giving me the opportunity on the ice and it’s my job to make the most of it," Veleno said. "Every shift I get out there I gotta do something and be engaged. There’s no shifts off in this league."
So Veleno is here, another piece of Detroit's future brought to the present. He has five more games this season to build on his first, and a full summer to come back even stronger in the fall. His NHL career has begun. If his eyes were wide for a moment, they're narrowing now on the journey ahead.
"I want to go out there and work really hard, but I’m not putting tons of pressure on myself," Veleno said. "I just want to play the game right and help the team win. If it's scoring a goal or blocking a shot, I want to be important in all aspects of the game. Every time I step on the ice I want to be a difference-maker for this team."