Ultramar Player of the Week: Joe Veleno
Boucherville, Que. – The Ultramar Player of the week is Joe Veleno (Voltigeurs | Drummondville). He played in three games last week and managed to accumulate a goal and six assists. He also helped the Voltigeurs collect four points out of a possible six putting them at a total of 70, which currently places the team at fourth in the league standings.
Veleno may have had only one point in his first game of the week against the Gatineau Olympiques, but he certainly made it count. He assisted teammate Connor Bramwell on the game-winning goal as the Voltigeurs triumphed 4-1.
The next day, the 17-year-old forward stepped things up a notch by collecting three points against the Shawinigan Cataractes. Once again he assisted the game-winning goal, but he also scored his 10th of the season while his team was shorthanded. Ultimately, the Voltigeurs skated past the Cataractes in a 5-2 win.
To end off the week, the two best teams in the western division went head-to-head in a clash worthy of their rankings. The Voltigeurs took on the Armada and Veleno posted three assists on the night. His team showed great resilience by overcoming a 4-0 deficit against its rivals, although in the end, the Armada took it 5-4.
Veleno is currently on an 11-game stretch with at least one point. Since his arrival in Drummondville in late December, he’s managed to garner 25 points in a mere 15 games. All in all, he has 10 goals and 46 assists for a total of 56 points in just 46 games this season, his best so far in his QMJHL career.
Other players considered for the Ultramar Player of the Week are goaltender Zachary Bouthillier (Saguenéens | Chicoutimi) and defenseman Olivier Galipeau (Titan | Acadie-Bathurst).
Bouthillier had a very effective week between the pipes posting a .948% save percentage as well as a 1.88 goals against average. He managed to block 73 out of a total 77 shots in two appearances last weeks. His exceptional performances earned him first star of the game in both of his wins.
Galipeau had a six-point week with two goals and four assists. He was on the ice for only one goal by the opposing team and as a result posted a +3 differential. He also had the third four-point game of his career on Friday. The 20-year-old defenseman continues to be a strong presence on the ice for his team, helping it to two victories last week.
2017-18 Ultramar Player of the Week:
Sept. 21 – Sept. 24: Simon Lafrance (Foreurs | Val-d’Or)
Sept. 25 – Oct. 1: Yvan Mongo (Voltigeurs | Drummondville)
Oct. 2 – Oct. 8: Anthony Poulin (Armada | Blainville-Boisbriand)
Oct. 9 – Oct. 15: Mark Grametbauer (Wildcats | Moncton)
Oct. 16 – Oct. 22: Drake Batherson (Screaming Eagles | Cape Breton)
Oct. 23 – Oct. 29: Julien Tessier (Wildcats | Moncton)
Oct. 30 – Nov. 5: Étienne Montpetit (Foreurs | Val-d’Or)
Nov. 6 – Nov.12: Nicolas Beaudin (Voltigeurs | Drummondville)
Nov. 13 – Nov.19: Anthony Morrone (Tigres | Victoriaville)
Nov. 20 – Nov. 26: Thomas Grégoire (Phoenix | Sherbrooke)
Nov. 27 – Dec. 3: Alex Barré-Boulet (Armada | Blainville-Boisbriand)
Dec. 4 – Dec. 10: Alex Barré-Boulet (Armada | Blainville-Boisbriand)
Dec. 11 – Dec.17: Tristan Bérubé (Olympiques | Gatineau)
Dec. 28 – Dec. 31: Ivan Kosorenkov (Tigres | Victoriaville)
Jan. 1 – Jan. 7: Samuel Harvey (Huskies | Rouyn-Noranda)
Jan. 8 – Jan. 14: Samuel Dove-McFalls (Océanic | Rimouski)
Jan. 15 – Jan. 21: Jeffrey Truchon-Viel (Titan | Acadie-Bathurst)
Jan. 22 – Jan. 28: Peter Abbandonato (Huskies | Rouyn-Noranda)
Jan. 29 – Feb. 4: Joe Veleno (Voltigeurs | Drummondville)
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