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The Forecheck: Unheralded walk-on Jake Veilleux earning a spot in the lineup

The freshman forward has been a pleasant surprise for the Huskies over the last three games.

January 28, 2022

Welcome to the revamped UConn Hockey Hub newsletter, which catches you up on all the stories, trends, and anything else you might have missed, along with some quick takes and leftover notes from the weekend.

Unheralded walk-on Jake Veilleux earning a spot in the lineup

When Jake Veilleux came to UConn, he did so as a footnote in the team’s 2021 recruiting class. The Huskies added three grad transfers at all three levels as well as two well-regarded forwards out of junior hockey and a depth defenseman, so a walk-on from South Windsor didn’t generate much buzz.

Veilleux was presented as a hybrid forward/defenseman who would essentially be a practice player and fill in wherever the team needed a body in a given day.

“I think he's going to provide some depth for us on defense. He's also a kid who has the ability to play forward,” Mike Cavanaugh said of Veilleux during the preseason. “He's played both forward and defense. So I like that type of versatility with him."

Veilleux made the lineup as the extra skater at Northeastern but never saw the ice. But on Friday, the freshman was a surprise pick for the fourth line against New Hampshire with Chase Bradley suspended and Hudson Schandor out with a non-COVID health issue.

“He's just consistently putting forth a good effort in practice,” Cavanaugh said of Veilleux on Saturday. “With Chase’s suspension and Huddy (Schandor) out last night, we had to get two guys in the lineup that haven't been playing regularly and we just thought that he's one of the guys that deserves to be in there.”

Right away, Veilleux proved he belong. He played hard, went into the gritty areas of the ice and won his share of puck battles. Veilleux even recorded his first career point with a pretty assist on Carter Turnbull’s goal.

Even when Bradley returned, Veilleux kept his spot in the second game against UNH and in the Tuesday night matchup with Merrimack. He continued to excel at the little things and even picked up the game-winning assist when his attempted dump ended up right in front of goal for Jonny Evans.

With two assists on the season in just three games, Veilleux now has more points on the campaign than Cassidy Bowes and John Wojciechowski (zero points in 18 combined games), more than Eric Linell had in his two-year career with the Huskies and as many as senior Zac Robbins totaled last season.

Despite being an unheralded addition, Veilleux has has proven himself worthy of his roster spot.

“Everybody that we bring into the program is expected to contribute,” Cavanaugh said. “You just don't wear a jersey and say, ‘Hey, I'm on the team.’ We have guys in that locker room and when their number's called, they're expected to play.”

Week in review

News

UNH series

Merrimack

Three stars

First star: Jonny Evans

Evans scored the game-winner in overtime on Saturday and did it again on Tuesday. He totaled three points over the last three games and is finally beginning to look like his junior year self. From what Cavanaugh has seen behind the scenes, there’s reason to believe Evans’ recent production is more than just a flash in the pan.

“Sometimes you just get into a rut and it's hard to get out of it,” the coach said. “There's no easy fixes when things aren't going your way except to really bear down and work hard. I think Jonny finally came to terms with that said, ‘Hey, I'm just gonna work hard and see what happens,’ and it's paying off for him.”

Second star: Darion Hanson

After a rough start to the second half, Hanson has settled in and is playing some of his best hockey over the last week. He didn’t allow more than two goals in a game and made life easy for himself by controlling rebounds while also coming up with big saves when called up. In the frenzied final few seconds against Merrimack, Hanson made a tough, awkward stop which helped UConn hang on for the win.

Third star: Kevin O’Neil

O’Neil has been one of UConn’s best forwards all season long and his production is finally starting to reflect that. He surpassed the 10-point mark with two assists in the last two games and racked up seven shots on Saturday. O’Neil threaded the needle to get the puck to Evans for the OT game-winner against UNH and then helped set up Jachym Kondelik’s power play goal on Tuesday.

“That kid’s just a hockey player,” Cavanaugh said. “He's not gonna wow with the size or speed or his dynamic skill but god, he just makes plays all game long. Not only offensively, defensively, power play, penalty killing. He's just a great hockey player.”

Play of the week

Ice-cold capture