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Marco Rossi is the twelfth Austrian player to be drafted in the North American Ice Hockey League NHL. A dream has come true for the 19-year-old from Vorarlberg.
In Vorarlberg and Minnesota, the joy was great when Marco Rossi was named number nine in the draft of the North American ice hockey league NHL on Wednesday night. The Minnesota Wild opted for Vorarlberger and are convinced they have found the best playmaker they were looking for.
Rossi had had a short night. There were interviews to give, and the congratulations came. “I can’t be happier right now,” the 19-year-old said the next day. “It was always a childhood dream to be able to play in the NHL. The draft is an intermediate step, but the feelings are already very high. There is still a long way to go to enter the NHL, but that is the goal for this. Year, ”said the center.
It should fit well into Minnesota’s plans when the Wilds were looking for a playmaker. Rossi was considered a number four candidate in the draft, so Minnesota was happier that he was still in play when it was their turn to vote. “We had the feeling that he was the best player available, and the fact that he is the center we achieved what we wanted,” said general manager Bill Guerin, explaining the decision.
Optimal club for development
Your amateur scout is impressed by Rossi’s qualities and attitude. “Marco is a two-way center with an incredible eye, skill and level of competition. That was the player we wanted, we are very excited. He has everything to be a number one center,” Judd Brackett analyzed.
They are relying on their new diamond in the rough to establish a foothold in the NHL as soon as the league begins the new season, scheduled for January 1. The talks were scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to clarify the immediate future. Since the NHL is taking a longer hiatus, it is quite possible that Rossi will initially play for the ZSC Lions Zurich and only fly to Minnesota for the start of training camps in early December.
At camp, it will be decided whether Rossi will immediately switch to the NHL and win the mandatory entry-level contract, which will last for three years and provide about a million dollars in salary. “We are convinced that he is ready to play in the NHL,” said his coach Patrick Pilloni confidently. The club has the last word.
In the footsteps of Thomas Vanek
Minnesota’s most famous Austrians are also looking forward to their first appearance at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul. Thomas Vanek once led the University of Minnesota to college league victory and wore Wild’s jersey for two seasons, from 2014 to 2016.
The goalscorer ended his career in February, made his home in Lake Elmo near St. Paul and will be able to watch his predestined successor as Austria’s best player live. “He is a phenomenal player,” enthused Vanek on the club’s home page. “So far I have only seen him on television and on the computer, but the first thing I noticed was that he made his teammates better and that is a sign of a great player.”
Vanek thinks Minnesota is the place for Rossi, too. I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about it, he said and offered up advice and action and as a “guide.” That night he sent a message to Rossi: “Congratulations, you’ll love it here, it’s a great place.” For the youngster from Vorarlberg, Vanek was always the motivation to reach the strongest league in the world. He’s also a role model now, as Vanek was one of the best players in the league for years with over 1,000 NHL games. For Rossi, the road is just beginning.
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