Pronman:
9. Minnesota Wild: Marco Rossi, C, Ottawa-OHL
Sept. 23, 2001 | 5-foot-9 | 183 pounds
Rossi dominated the OHL this season, scoring more than two points per game as one of the best players in the entire CHL. He was a major reason why the 67’s were an elite team. Rossi is an exciting player due to his skill and IQ. He has tremendous stick handling ability in tight areas and can slide off checks. He’s a great passer with a high level of offensive creativity who projects to play the half-wall on an NHL power play. Rossi’s skating is good, but he’s more of a skill player than a speedy player. He’s not the quickest small player you’ll ever see, but he has a powerful stride and good edge work to elude checks. While Rossi is undersized, he’s a very competitive player. He drives the net consistently, he can kill penalties very well and he can be used in tough defensive situations. His great skill and production are very appealing. He doesn’t raise to the top tier of the draft due to his size and speed combination, but he projects to be a top-line NHL forward because of how smart, skilled and competitive he is.
Andre Tourigny, coach of the Ottawa 67’s, on Rossi: “He’s relentless, his competitiveness is through the roof, he has tremendous hockey sense, good skills and a good shot.”
Pronman’s thoughts: In Rossi, the Wild get one of the best players in junior hockey last season. He’s a player with tremendous skill and a high compete level. He’s undersized and a good, not great skater. But the skill and compete level are so good that I think he can become a low-end, first-line center in the NHL who can play on both special teams. He becomes a very important part of the Wild’s future and gives them much needed young depth at center.
2020 NHL Draft Round 1 full analysis: What we learned
