Three years after the Corona drama, the Austrian and ex-ZSC junior rocks the NHL: the resurrection of Marco Rossi

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Two and a half years pass between Marco Rossi’s lines: “Dad, I’m afraid my heart has stopped beating” and “I feel like a real NHL player for the first time.” And an odyssey that started with a Covid infection, in which hope replaced uncertainty, and in which his first NHL goal turned into a success story.

But first things first. In November 2020, just a month after Rossi was drafted No. 9 overall in the first round by the Minnesota Wild, he contracted the coronavirus in Zurich. The Austrian did not really get back on his feet for a long time. He felt constantly tired, but still returned to the ice at ZSC.

The low point came around the turn of the year during the U20 World Cup in Canada. “I was exhausted, I just couldn’t get on the ice anymore.” He thought it was jet lag or other problems. “But Corona, I never had that thought,” Rossi said in the spring of 2021 in the ORF program “Sport am Sonntag”.

Third best NHL rookie

He still flew to Minnesota and reported to camp, where he underwent intensive medical tests. The shock diagnosis: inflammation of the heart muscle caused by Corona. Rossi had to serve a year and his entry-level contract was postponed accordingly. A test of patience – for him, for his family. He returned to her in Vorarlberg to recover, where worrying about his heart was a challenge for his parents.

The striker worked on the resulting physical deficits, but they exhausted his patience. After returning to North America, the 22-year-old often had to make do with the Iowa Wild Farm team and the AHL. In 2021-22, Minnesota only used him in two NHL games and a season later in 19 NHL games.

The national striker made his breakthrough this season – and how. In the second game of the season against Toronto (4:7), Rossi scored his first NHL goal. The only remaining Austrian in the NHL is now one of Minnesota’s team pillars, forming the center of the top attack. And currently the third-best rookie in the league behind teen wonder Connor Bedard (18, Chicago) and Adam Fantilli (19, Columbus).

Rossi has gained seven kilos

“I feel stronger than ever before,” Rossi told the Kleine Zeitung two months ago. He never doubted himself, “but subordinated everything to play in the NHL.” Last summer he spent time in the US training and gained seven kilos. “He came to us in phenomenal shape,” emphasizes Wild coach Dean Evason (59, Ka), “he deserves where he is playing now.”

Before Christmas, Rossi also earned the respect of his star wing Kirill Kaprisow (22): after the Russian was forcefully checked into the boards by Montreal’s Kaiden Guhle and looked up from the ice, he saw none of his defeating teammates standing up for him, but the 175 cm Osi. “I thought, wow, he’s a machine,” Kaprisow says. It was Rossi’s first fight in the NHL.

Source : Blick