Joe Veleno is looking forward to his second year with the Saint John Sea Dogs and the 16-year-old is already looking in mid-season form.
Veleno represented Canada this summer at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Championship in Slovakia and the Czech Republic and says his ultimate goal is to bring a Memorial Cup back to Saint John.
Sea Dogs Head Coach Danny Flynn calls Veleno a “special player, but also a special person”.
He says Veleno has really worked on his game during the off season and also put on 15 pounds this summer.
Flynn says he hopes people in the league and in Saint John come see him play during his time here because “it’ll fly by, and the next time you go see him play it’ll cost 200 bucks a ticket”.
Commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Gilles Courteau says the Memorial Cup in 2018 will be a national bid between all three junior leagues in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Memorial Cup.
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will be the host league in 2019 and Courteau confirmed the Saint John Sea Dogs have expressed interest in hosting the tournament.
One of the major influences into naming a host team is determining if they’ll be competitive enough to play in the tournament and with Veleno in the Sea Dogs line-up Saint John fans have a lot to look forward to.
(Photo courtesy of Marc Henwood Photography)
