Сүүлийн хоёр улиралд хүндхэн замыг туулсан довтлогч Жо Велено ирэх улирлыг NHL-ийн Рейнжерс бүрэлдэхүүнд өөрийгөө батлан харуулах боломж гэж харж байна.
Өнгөрсөн хоёр жилийн хугацаанд Детройт Ред Уингсээс Чикаго Блэкхокс, Сиэтл Кракен багуудад дамжин тоглосон 26 настай Жо Велено энэ зун Рейнжерстэй нэг жилийн 1.2 сая долларын гэрээ байгууллаа. Өнгөрсөн улиралд Монреаль Канадиенс багт тоглож, анх удаа playoffs-ын амтыг мэдэрсэн тэрээр энэ удаад дөрөв дэх эгнээний төвийн тоглогчийн үүрэг гүйцэтгэхээр төлөвлөж байна. Пүрэв гарагт болсон урьдчилсан тоглолтын үеэр тэрээр Тай Карти, Мэтт Ремпе нарын хамтаар мөсөн дээр гарсан нь ирэх улирлын эхний тоглолтын бүрэлдэхүүн байх магадлалтай юм.
Рейнжерсийн ахлах дасгалжуулагч Майк Салливан тоглогчийн хамгаалалтын ур чадвар болон гулгалтын хурдыг онцлон тэмдэглэлээ. Тэрээр Жо Веленог тооны цөөнд хамгаалах болон өрсөлдөгч багийн шилдэг тоглогчдыг саатуулах чухал үүрэг гүйцэтгэнэ гэж үзэж байгаа юм. Жо Велено өнгөрсөн улиралд 61 тоглолтод оролцохдоо 2 гоол, 3 оновчтой дамжуулалт гүйцэтгэсэн бөгөөд энэ жил довтолгооны тал дээр илүү идэвхтэй оролцохыг зорьж байна.
Үүнээс гадна, пүрэв гарагийн тоглолтын өмнө Рейнжерс баг бэлтгэлийн бүрэлдэхүүнээсээ таван тоглогчийг хасаж, тэднийг Вольф Пак руу шилжүүлсэн байна. Тодруулбал, Жейкоб Батталья, Броди Ламб, Дилан Рубрук, Спенсер Мартин, Каллум Тунг нар багийн бүрэлдэхүүнээс гарчээ. Мөн тус тоглолтод хаалгач Йоонас Корписало бүх цагийн турш хаалгаа манаж, Дилан Гаранд сэлгээний хаалгачаар ажиллав.
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The past two seasons have been quite eventful for Joe Veleno.
He was traded twice, from Detroit to Chicago and then to Seattle. He was subsequently placed on unconditional waivers by the Kraken.
Veleno then signed his first deal as an unrestricted free agent with the Canadiens and got his first taste of playoff hockey last season.
The Habs decided not to tender him a qualifying offer, thus making him a UFA for a second straight summer.
“It’s been a little difficult, for sure,” Veleno told The Post on Thursday before he suited up for his first preseason game with the Rangers against the Devils. “Not always easy, but you know what? You try to learn from those mistakes and try to avoid that happening again as best as you could. Try to find ways to improve and get better. I thought I did a good job of that last year, established myself [with] more of an identity to myself. Obviously, running here this year.”
After signing a one-year, $1.2 million deal with the Rangers this offseason, Veleno is looking to establish himself with a new team following a five-year run in Detroit.
The 26-year-old has been penciled into the fourth-line center role since putting pen to paper with the Rangers in the summer. On Thursday, he skated next to Tye Kartye and Matt Rempe, which very well could be the Rangers fourth line on Opening Night in Boston at the end of this month.
Veleno said he aims to be responsible defensively and contribute on both the penalty kill and in the faceoff circle. Chipping in offensively, he added, is what he would like to do more of this season.
“He will without a doubt be a big part of the penalty kill,” head coach Mike Sullivan said of Veleno, who had five points (two goals, three assists) in 61 games last season. “I think he’s also a guy that has shown an ability, just with his defensive conscience. We can put him in defensive situations to play against other team’s top players if we need him to. The biggest thing that allows him to do that is his size and his skating ability. He can really skate. I think that’s a great attribute as a defensive player because if you get beat, if somebody gets a step on you, you have the ability to recover.
“I think Joe has that. And when you’re playing against good players, sometimes you’re going to get beat. They make good plays. Skating ability and size, reach, length, things like that, I think are a big advantage to a guy that’s going to play that type of a role and he has that.”
It was predetermined that goalie Joonas Korpisalo would play all of the second-to-last exhibition game Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. Rookie netminder Dylan Garand served as the backup.
The Rangers cut their training camp roster by five players before Thursday’s game.
Jacob Battaglia, Brody Lamb, Dylan Roobroeck, Spencer Martin and Callum Tung were assigned to the Wolf Pack.
