By Kara Keating, griffinshockey.com

Griffins forward Joe Veleno and defenseman Moritz Seider have returned to Grand Rapids after representing Canada and Germany, respectively, at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic. They were two of six players who currently play in the American Hockey League.

After being named an alternate captain for Team Canada, Veleno and his teammates secured the gold medal. Canada trailed Russia 3-1 heading into the third period and came back victorious with a score of 4-3.

“It was really special,” Veleno said. “It’s something you dream of as a kid to represent your country and play on the biggest stage in the world. I don’t think you can get any bigger than that with an international stage. I was grateful to participate and especially to win a gold medal, it felt amazing.”

Seider represented Team Germany and helped his country defeat Kazakhstan in a three-game series to avoid relegation. He is a two-time captain after serving last season in the role during the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship Division 1A.

Although it was not the results Team Germany hoped for, Seider said the team was able to reach their goal of coming out strong in the tournament and being recognized as a contender.

“I was very honored and very proud,” Seider said about serving as captain. “It is always a comfortable role for me, but it’s always nice to represent your country as the captain.”

During the tournament, Veleno lead Team Canada with an average time on ice of 19:13 and ranked sixth on the team with six points (1-5--6) in the six games he played. He missed one game during the tournament due to a suspension.

For him, the one of the biggest things he learned was building his confidence on the ice while playing a more prominent role.

“I was playing a lot of big minutes, playing hard, playing good defensively and offensively and just doing the same things I’ve always done,” Veleno said.

Seider led among the team’s defenseman in scoring and tied for second on the club with six points (0-6--6) in seven games. Overall, he led the tournament with an average time on ice of 25:20.

The main lesson he learned came from how to prepare for seven hockey games in nine days, with five of those games being back-to-back toward the end of the contest.

“You have to be prepared every single night,” Seider said. “I played a lot of minutes so you have to keep the body at rest and I learned that for sure. All and all, I’m pretty happy with my performance, but I’m also very happy to be back.”

Coming from the AHL and jumping into the World Juniors brings its challenges as well. Seider describes working with the different skill levels while playing against players from leagues ranging from junior, college and the AHL.

However, it brings out positive experiences as well bringing old teammates back together.

“It was a great opportunity to see all the guys again and it was a long time without them,” Seider said. “We’ve all known each other for a while now. Everyone was excited and pumped to play in that tournament... It’s a little bit nicer playing on the big sheet because you have a little bit more time and space. I really enjoyed it for sure.”

After missing Veleno and Seider for nine games, the Griffins posted a 3-5-1-0 record and ranked seventh in the Central Division.

Since rejoining the team on Jan. 10, they are both looking to bring their confidence and preparation back to Grand Rapids heading into the second half of the season. After coming off a championship win, Veleno is eager to jump back in.

“Obviously you feel great about it and you feel great about yourself,” Veleno said. “You just won a gold medal and you probably just accomplished something that not too many guys can do. To be able to do that and come play hockey again in Grand Rapids is obviously a big step, but I'm bringing a lot of that confidence back here.”

As for Seider, he is ready to help the team climb back up in the standings.

“I’m very excited for the next part of the season to get some points. We have to claim that playoff spot for sure, we have a lot of work to do,” Seider said.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins