The Detroit Red Wings sent goalie Petr Mrazek and forward Craig Smith to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for winger Joe Veleno, the organization announced today.
Veleno, 25, has played in 56 games for Detroit in 2024–25 and scored 10 points (5G, 5A). With 93 hits this season, Veleno is third among Detroit forwards and fifth overall, while he is tied for fourth among club forwards with 32 blocked shots.
In 288 NHL regular-season games, the 6-foot-1, 201-pound native from Montreal, Quebec, has scored 74 points (35G, 39A), all while playing with the Red Wings. During the 2023–24 season, Veleno set NHL career highs in goals (12), assists (16), and points (28).
Veleno, who was originally chosen by Detroit in the first round (30th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, has been on the international scene many times. The forward scored five points (2G, 3A) in five games during the 2023 IIHF World Championship, helping Team Canada win the gold medal. Additionally, after scoring six points (1G, 5A) in six tournament games, he assisted Canada in winning gold in the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship.
In 33 games with the Blackhawks in the 2024–25 season, Mrazek, 33, had a 10-19-2 record, a 3.46 goals-against average, and a.890 save percentage. On November 2, he participated in his 400th NHL game at Los Angeles, recording 37 saves and winning the game.
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