Wild take center Marco Rossi in first round of 2020 Draft
Team red center Marco Rossi (23) skates during the Kubota OHL/NHL Top Prospects skills testing in Hamilton, Ontario, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. Rossi is a prospect in the upcoming NHL Draft.[(Peter Power/The Canadian Press via AP)]
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin has been vocal about his desire to acquire centers. That process started Tuesday night when Guerin selected center Marco Rossi in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
The Wild selected Rossi No. 9 overall, the first time they’ve selected in the top-10 in eight years.
Wild director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett on Rossi: “Marco is a two-way center with incredible vision, skill and compete level.”
Rossi, 19 and a native of Austria, played 56 games for the Ottawa 67’s for the Ontario Hockey League last season, scoring 39 goals and to go along with 81 assists. He was the OHL’s top player and was ranked as the No. 6 North American skater by NHL Central Scouting.
The question now is this: How soon can Rossi crack the Wild’s lineup?