It wouldn’t take much to imagine Steve Yzerman drafting a highly skilled center with Detroit’s fourth overall pick on Tuesday. It also wouldn’t take much imagination to see that pick being used on Marco Rossi.
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After scoring 120 points in 57 games with the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL last season, it’s easy to see why there is some buzz about him. He stands 5’9, weighs in at 185 pounds, and is ranked anywhere between fourth and ninth in most prospect rankings.
In a scouting report, NHL Central Scouting states: “He’s a highly skilled offensive player who is equally dangerous creating plays and finishing scoring chances. Rossi is an excellent skater, solid on his skates and difficult to knock off the puck, and he can make plays off the rush or in tight areas. He demonstrates a strong cycle game, can extend plays in the offensive zone and can beat defenders with speed or with an impressive set of moves.”
A crafty, highly skilled center, who is very responsible defensively… sound familiar, Red Wings fans? If that makes you think of Pavel Datsyuk, it makes sense. In face, Rossi recently told reporters that Datsyuk was his idol, and that he tried to model his game after Datsyuk’s.
Would it make perfect sense for Detroit to target Rossi at number four overall? It certainly would. So much so in fact, that the three writers who participated in the mock draft at NHL.com all predicted that the Red Wings would take Rossi. “He (Rossi) is capable of winning puck battles, is strong on face-offs (58.5 winning percentage) and generates offense with his IQ, slick hands and playmaking ability,” stated Mike Morreale.
Whether or not Yzerman takes a swing on the young Austrian remains to be seen. But, it would not be a surprise to see it happen.
In case you missed our other draft target profiles:
