Rossi drafted by Minnesota

Marco Rossi knows his NHL team: he is joining the Minnesota Wild! The 19-year-old from Feldkirch was picked ninth overall. The Wild had a major need at centre, giving the Vorarlberg native a promising sporting perspective.

Minnesota have not been among the worst NHL teams in recent years, but they have not been in contention for the Stanley Cup either. In 2020, they lost 1:3 to the Vancoucer Canucks in the qualifying round.

Rossi spent the past two years playing for the Ottawa 67's in the Canadian Ontario Hockey League, scoring 76 goals and registering 133 assists in 126 games. Right winger Jack Quinn (8th overall/Buffalo), a former teammate, was selected ahead of Rossi. The expected top three were also taken before Rossi – Alexis Lafreniere (New York Rangers), Quinton Byfield (Los Angeles Kings) and Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators) – followed by Swedish wingers Lucas Raymond (4th overall/Detroit) and Alexander Holtz (7th overall/New Jersey), as well as the highest-ranked defencemen Jake Sanderson (5th overall/Ottawa) and Jamie Drysdale (6th overall/Anaheim).

Canadian Lafreniere, who will celebrate his 19th birthday later this week, was the designated top pick and is considered a future superstar of the league. The 1,86-metre-tall centre recorded 127 goals and 200 assists in three years with Rimouski Oceanic in the Canadian QMJHL.

With the second pick, the Los Angeles Kings chose a player at the same position as Rossi: centre Quinton Byfield. The Canadian, born in 2002 and therefore almost a year younger than Lafreniere, won the U20 World Championship alongside the top pick in 2020. Tim Stützle completed the top three as the first European selected in the draft. The 18-year-old German, who can play at centre and left wing, joins the Ottawa Senators. Stützle had already spent a year proving himself in the Deutsche Eishockey-Liga with Adler Mannheim.

A little later than expected, ninth overall, the Wild opted for the Austrian centre. LAOLA1 expert Bernd Freimüller had already explained the team's situation – and named Minnesota as his absolute dream destination for Austria's potential star. Rossi himself was also very pleased with his team in his initial reaction to the draft, showing confidence: "It is a perfect fit. They need a centre. And I am 100 per cent ready. My impact will be my all-round game. I am a playmaker, have good hockey sense and can score goals too."

However, the 19-year-old from Vorarlberg will not be the first Austrian to wear the dark green jersey of the "State of Hockey": Christoph Brandner was selected by the Wild in the eighth round in 2002 and went on to play 35 NHL games for the franchise, becoming the first Austrian NHL goalscorer.

Thomas Vanek also played a total of 164 games for Minnesota from 2014 to 2016 and has close ties to the US state both before and after his career: the now 36-year-old spent his college years at the University of Minnesota and has settled here with his family.