Wilderness Walk: Marco Rossi Scored A Goal

Before the puck dropped for the Panthers-Hurricanes' series, NHL Radio was saying they felt like the Panthers wanted a few more goals, maybe 4-3 or above finishes, while the Canes preferred low scoring affairs.

That would mean the Canes felt that a low scoring affair was to their advantage and a shootout to the Panthers. Canes are 0-3 in low scoring games which goes completely against the narrative.

Canes look like they're really missing Paccioretty and Svenchnikov this round.

Also, Canes forwards, specifically in their current top 6 are not that large. This may explain why the Panthers' lighter defense can handle them.

Games have been on TNT, so I've been blocked out of the whole series!

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Watch this Rossi goal. Tell me if you even saw a this aggression while he was up with us? I saw a lot of deferring in his game, but not this taking it to the goalie. This was what Rossi's highlights looked like with the '67s. This is what I saw in the final playoff game in Iowa. Maybe we've got a player who is feeling more like himself now? Anyway, I'd suggest that this "glimmer" of hope is enough for one more season.

10 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

Before the puck dropped for the Panthers-Hurricanes' series, NHL Radio was saying they felt like the Panthers wanted a few more goals, maybe 4-3 or above finishes, while the Canes preferred low scoring affairs.

That would mean the Canes felt that a low scoring affair was to their advantage and a shootout to the Panthers. Canes are 0-3 in low scoring games which goes completely against the narrative.

Canes look like they're really missing Paccioretty and Svenchnikov this round.

Also, Canes forwards, specifically in their current top 6 are not that large. This may explain why the Panthers' lighter defense can handle them.

Games have been on TNT, so I've been blocked out of the whole series!

------------------------------------------

Watch this Rossi goal. Tell me if you even saw a this aggression while he was up with us? I saw a lot of deferring in his game, but not this taking it to the goalie. This was what Rossi's highlights looked like with the '67s. This is what I saw in the final playoff game in Iowa. Maybe we've got a player who is feeling more like himself now? Anyway, I'd suggest that this "glimmer" of hope is enough for one more season.

I agree on Rossi (have no idea on Canes). Although the competition was bad, the move was exceptional and wasn't seen even tried with the Wild or baby Wild. I sure hope this portends a big step up for the kid. It would help resolve so many issues with the Wild roster.

6 minutes ago, Up North Guy said:

I agree on Rossi (have no idea on Canes). Although the competition was bad, the move was exceptional and wasn't seen even tried with the Wild or baby Wild. I sure hope this portends a big step up for the kid. It would help resolve so many issues with the Wild roster.

Do you think that maybe Rossi sees the differently than his teammates do? He's trying to adapt to a different structure than he's been coached in?

Tony, you said you've seen several full games of Rossi in Iowa a few weeks ago. I saw 1 highlight of it in the final Rockford game. Can you verify whether or not Rossi was doing any of this during the season?

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Tony, you said you've seen several full games of Rossi in Iowa a few weeks ago. I saw 1 highlight of it in the final Rockford game. Can you verify whether or not Rossi was doing any of this during the season?

This isn’t something new that Rossi does “mnfan” he’s been doing this stuff for a long time.

That’s why he was second on the team in points. He’s still developing too.

You can’t base your opinion solely on the couple min highlights you watched of the Ahl games.

 Pronman and Wheeler have us taking Matthew Wood.

https://theathletic.com/4522876/2023/05/23/nhl-mock-draft-2023-pronman-wheeler/

I would be happy if we got him even though he’s more of a rw.

They also have Ritchie, Heidt and Enstrom getting picked after us so there’s hope that we could still get a C with size.

Enstrom has been climbing the board significantly because he’s big, plays a two way game and can score. He’s projected to be like Joel Eriksson Ek.

Little Rossi fans are a little excited for the little guy lighting up the Hungarians.

Nice to hear Rossi is doing well at Worlds. Putting up six points in seven games on a team like Austria is not too shabby at all.

Really hoping he is able to make the leap to the NHL this year successfully, that would help us a lot long term.

20 hours ago, Mateo3xm said:

You can’t base your opinion solely on the couple min highlights you watched of the Ahl games.

It was more than a couple of minutes. The highlights started showing saves, specifically from The Wall this season. They also showed some really nice Iowa offensive plays that resulted in non-goals. However, it wasn't until their final game against Rockford where I saw something similar to this play.

Mateo, you say he's been doing this all year in Iowa. Were you able to watch the games in Iowa? I saw a lot of points put up for Rossi, but many of them were on the PP from the Zuccarello spot. He wristed a few through for goals, but mainly banked points with a cross ice pass where someone else did all the hard work. 

But, I do agree with you that he is still developing. I would also suggest that he is still recovering too, since he had to rebuild an awful lot after shutting it down for most of a year. 

If you did watch AHL games, please share, that kind of eye test is really important in this discussion!

We have another center that Sportsnet projects in our range: Riley Heidt.

Quote

April 2023 – Heidt’s versatility is his bread and butter, as he can play in any scenario. Down a goal, up a goal, on the power play or the penalty kill, coaches aren’t concerned when Heidt hops over the boards, and rightly so. His feistiness makes him a truly impressive forechecker. He boasts solid board-battle mechanics as well, making him a headache for opposing defenders below their goal line. There are also some very alluring elements to his playmaking, namely a wide array of passes and solid scanning habits, although his shot is just slightly above-average for this class. As he stands, Heidt’s ceiling projects him as a checking center with both high-end defensive capabilities and the playmaking/skill combo to hold down a second-line role. Think Yanni Gourde with better hands and passing. Hadi Kalakeche

This was Dobber's summary of the player. Heidt would probably be #4 on my board of centers that we have a chance at. The detraction is 5'11" 179. He'll add strength over the next couple of years, and they talk about his speed and edge work (checked box for Brackett). He is a playmaker 1st. 

I don't have an expected delivery date on the prospect, so expect somewhere around 3-4 years. One thing I do like is the word feisty in his description. One thing I don't like is his tendency to disappear in playoff games and late in games when down by a goal. He's a decent prospect, and if we end up with him because the others are taken, I guess I'm not complaining. 

But, I still would rank Ritchie ahead of him mainly due to size. I just have a feeling that Ritchie's size will translate better to the N. On Sportsnet's rankings, they fall 3 spots from one another, so very close.