In a recent video, 2020 NHL Draft top prospect Marco Rossi sat down to discuss Brayden Point being his favorite player and how he tries to emulate the games of Point and Pavel Datsyuk. The Austrian also discussed the state of hockey in his native country and what fellow countrymen Thomas Vanek and Michael Grabner have meant. Take a look:
Rossi is a surefire top-10 prospect in the upcoming draft and could even be picked in the top 5. The Hockey Writers’ draft experts have him ranked 8th (Larry Fisher), 5th (Josh Bell), and 6th (Andrew Forbes) in their final rankings. Scouts rave about his ability to create offense, using his awareness and vision to his advantage. Despite being undersized at 5-foot-9, he plays with confidence and knows where to be in every situation. It is due to his stature and on-ice awareness that he compares himself to Point, and there’s no reason he can’t match Point’s impact in the NHL.
Related: THW’s 2020 Draft Guide
Rossi has already out-performed Point at the CHL level; in his draft year, Point had 91 points in 72 games for the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, while Rossi had 120 points in 56 games for the Ottawa 67’s. He was also named the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player for the 2019-20 season. Whatever team gets the chance to draft Rossi will have an elite prospect on their hands; one who exudes confidence and doesn’t let his size be a hindrance. It’s why some, including our own Josh Bell, are already calling him the best Austrian hockey player of all-time.
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