67's star Rossi off to play in Switzerland, as OHL mulls pushing back start of season
As the Ottawa 67's and their fans await official news that the start of the 2020-21 season could be pushed back to February, outgoing star Marco Rossi is ready to start playing again.
Rossi, drafted ninth overall and signed to an entry-level contract by the Minnesota Wild earlier this month, has been lent to the Zurich Lions of Switzerland's NAL. If and when NHL training camps open up in the new year, Rossi will join the Wild.
Depending on the timing of the NHL restart, Rossi could also represent Austria at the world junior championships, which begin in Edmonton on Christmas Day.
“With the ongoing delay to the start of NHL training camps, Marco has the opportunity to play at the highest level in Switzerland,” Rossi's agent,
Serge Payer, said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
“It's an organization he was part of before joining the 67's and it's also close to home for him.”
Before coming overseas and spending the past two seasons in Ottawa — Rossi scored 39 goals and 81 assists in 56 games last season and won the OHL's most valuable player award — he routinely travelled from his home in Rankweil, Austria, to Zurich in order to play against a higher level of competition.
In his off-seasons, he also trains in Zurich.
Former NHL players Sven Andrighetto and Marcus Krüger are currently in the Lions lineup.
While Rossi opted not to play anywhere before the NHL draft due to concerns of a potential injury, Payer believes the new arrangement will allow Rossi to fine-tune his game before attempting to step directly into Minnesota's lineup.
“He has an extended time off, and we believe playing will allow him to get mentally and physically ready for the NHL and the world juniors, if the dates match up,” he said.
If the NHL pushes a restart into late January or early February, the situation could line up for Rossi to play in the spotlight of the world juniors.
He would be the unquestioned star of an Austrian team that is tentatively scheduled to fly to Edmonton on Dec. 13. Austria is slated to open its tournament Dec. 26 against the United States.
From there, Rossi could stay in North America, making his way to Minnesota and dealing with COVID-19 quarantine concerns before a potential late-January opening of NHL training camps.
All of the above is subject to change, of course. While the NHL has officially cancelled the Winter Classic in Minnesota and the all-star game in Florida, the last official word from the league was it was hoping for an early January start.
That could be pushed back again, however, considering all the concerns about COVID-19 continuing to spread.
On that front, Ontario Hockey League general managers held a virtual meeting Wednesday, discussing options for a restart in the new year.
While nothing is official, TSN has reported that the league is considering beginning a revamped 40-game season on Feb. 4, with training camps opening on Jan. 23. Under that scenario, the season would end on May 16.
Players arriving from the United States and Europe would need to be back by Jan. 8 in order to quarantine for two weeks before the opening of training camps. (Those dates would also work for any European or American players skating for their national junior teams in Edmonton before returning to their junior squads).
Eight teams, down from the typical 16, would qualify for the playoffs.
The Memorial Cup, featuring the top teams from the OHL, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League, is scheduled for June 17 to 27.
Plenty of complications remain.
The OHL includes three teams in the U.S. — Saginaw, Mich., Flint, Mich., and Erie, Pa. — and it's unclear how those teams would deal with travel into Canada and how the Ontario teams would go south of the border.
There's also a question of whether players would be allowed to play their typical style of game.
Earlier this month, when the OHL was still contemplating a December return, Lisa MacLeod, Ontario's minister of heritage, sport, tourism and culture industries, said the game could only return if bodychecking was eliminated due to concerns that COVID-19 could be spread through close contact.
The Ottawa-based CCHL is experimenting with a form of the game where checking is limited.