2020 NHL Draft prospect profile: Marco Rossi scouting report

Positives and Negatives

Rossi is a very fast skater, however, he isn’t perfect. He needs to work on his first-step and acceleration, as he somewhat lacks in those areas. You can tell it takes him a few strides before he hits his full-speed, and with the ever-evolving speed in the NHL, it makes what seems like a small set-back a major one.

Another tidbit on his skating is his energy level. As stated earlier, Rossi plays with tenacity, and it shows in the way he constantly moves his feet. He doesn’t stop moving for a second if the puck is nearby.

As for Rossi’s hockey senses, he plays more of a high-octane, aggressive style as opposed to a more laid back and “out-smart your opponent” style, unlike several other prospects I’ve looked at. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a high IQ, however. He is good at reading the play and knows when to step up and when to stay back. Rossi isn’t always looking to play his bashful style and can outsmart opponents. He just doesn’t always rely on his senses like most of the 2020 prospects.

His pass-first tendencies, along with his statistics, make it clear that Rossi’s strong suit is his ability to make plays. It’s shown first in the way he displays his patience, waiting as long as he can for a play to unfold in front of him.

Not only that, but he also displays incredible vision, finding open teammates that most other players wouldn’t see. His passes are consistently flat on the ice, on target, and with the right touch, depending on the distance the puck must travel.

Playmaking isn’t just simply limited to passing, as stickhandling helps create room and, well, make plays. That being said, he is good at protecting the puck, as well as having the ability to pull off a quick deke from time-to-time to get past a defender. Overall, Rossi plays a smart game and doesn’t try to force plays, whether with a pass or a quick dangle. He tends to play smart and make the simple plays, rather than risk turning the puck over.

As for goal-scoring, Rossi has the capabilities to be a 20-goal man at the NHL level. He’s got a quick release that can fool goaltenders. His shot is very accurate as well, making him dangerous from the mid to low-points in the offensive zone, which is where he is often found.

However, his shot does lack power and is a bit inconsistent, which does ultimately mean he has a few minor tweaks to make in that area. Because he loves parking himself in front of the net, I watched what he did when he had the puck around the crease.

I noticed that he combined his strong stickhandling abilities with his accurate shooting to beat the goalies in tight. This is a very good trait to have, especially if he is used as a net-front presence at the next level.

On the forecheck, as you could imagine with the way I have already described his game, he is extremely successful. His aggressiveness and speed when attacking the opposition overwhelms them and often leads to direct takeaways or eventual turnovers.

While backchecking, Rossi is a bit more inconsistent. His need to improve on his first-step is shown in this area, as he can’t effectively backcheck if he doesn’t get a step ahead of the opposition. However, all-in-all, he is effective when forechecking and taking the puck away in the neutral zone.

On the breakout, Rossi’s bad habit of cheating up ice does hurt him a bit. However, he is so good at carrying the puck through the neutral zone. He is lethal in transition, making it look super easy as he weaves between several opposing players.

Again, his smart, risk-free style of play helps him to not turn the puck over. He will dump the puck in if he can’t find a teammate or a lane to skate through. He does not turn the puck over much at all. Not to mention, he is very good at faceoffs.

In the defensive zone, more specifically on the PK, Rossi is reliable. He does a very good job of attacking the opposition with speed and precision. He is willing to put his body in front of a shot, which he then blocks and moves up ice quickly.

He also uses an active stick with efficiency. While he attacks with speed, he holds his stick out in front of his body and waves it around, forcing the opposing player to feel rushed and forcing plays. His active stick also helps to plug up passing lanes and not giving his opponents many lanes to exploit.