Expectations are high for Marco Rossi and the Wild, especially on day one. Rossi came into camp after spending the whole offseason here in Minnesota training and even gained 15 extra pounds of muscle.
"What I’ve seen, I think he’s got a lot thicker," Marcus Foligno, who is one of Rossi's line-mates, said. "He’s definitely had a great summer. I know he spent quite a bit of time here in Minnesota, which has been great for his development and sometimes it’s needed."
Rossi has been through a lot in his career with a lot of setbacks but his hometown has always comforted him. But this offseason Rossi decided to not go home but rather stay in Minnesota and work his butt off.
This says a lot about his character and his determination and Rossi stated he stayed in Minnesota to work out and get better so he can be an NHL regular for the whole season.
Rossi even missed his own sister's wedding just so he could continue to practice, workout, and skate with Andy Ness.
“I mean, it wasn’t hard, because my goal is to be an NHL player so that was not a hard choice to stay here," Rossi said on missing his sister's wedding. "Of course, like you miss home and stuff, but I have my goal and that’s number one: I want to be an NHL player. So you do everything to try to sacrifice everything you can do, so that wasn’t a hard decision.”
Not only did Rossi work on his strength but he worked on his stride and his skating to really round out his game.
Ness has been working with Wild players for years now and is thought to be one of the better skating coaches out there. Rossi, on day one, proved he became an even better skater.
But the extra pounds don't effect his skating or his mobility. In fact Rossi believes it made him a better skater and a better player.
“First of all, it gives you more confidence when you’re stronger on the puck, when you hold the puck longer," Rossi said. "I feel very comfortable right now... that gives you extra confidence on the ice, trusting yourself more to do stuff. So that’s what I’ve been working on a lot.”
Rossi continued: "I didn't lose my quickness and my agility and stuff. So it was a good mix. We went hard. He did a great job with me, that I got stronger but even at the same time I stayed like really quick and that my agility is still there.”
What to expect from Rossi
After 19 games in the NHL last year with only one point, it's hard to really expect a lot out of Rossi but Foligno, and Marco himself made it clear that this isn't the same Rossi we saw last year.
Even though Rossi was on fire during the preseason last year where he led the team in points, he didn't seem to contribute offensively which led to him being sent down to Iowa.
Rossi has shown though that the AHL isn't the best spot for him. He has notched 34 goals and 104 points in 116 AHL games across two seasons.
After his demotion last year, Rossi was a near point per game player but the Wild felt his grit, mature level, and maybe his defensive side of the game wasn't exactly NHL ready yet. Which is why he remained in the AHL even when the Wild where without No.1 center Ryan Hartman for a bit.
Wild head coach Dean Evason seemed to be impressed after watching Rossi take the ice for day one of training camp and expects him to be a big piece for the upcoming season.
“We’re looking for Marco Rossi to make our hockey club and be an impact player with the Minnesota Wild," Evason said. "Where that is will obviously get sorted out through training camp and exhibition games and all of that. But no question we’re looking for him to make a step this year.”
Evason knows Rossi gained 15 extra pounds of muscle but he wants to see his mind, attitude, and professionalism to mature and improve.
"Guy’s bodies mature but their minds, attitudes, their professionalism matures, and that’s what we’ve seen and we saw it today. He quietly went about his business and worked. We're looking forward to him continuing to go through the process here of training camp.”
It is expected that Rossi will start the season with Foligno and Freddy Gaudreau on the third line. We will find out in a couple of days if Rossi is on either of the two power play units or penalty kills.
But look for Rossi to continue to impress in camp and preseason with the hope this time being his game translates to the regular season.