Prospect Info: 5th Overall Pick 2020: Who Do The Sens Draft

[Que]

Reminds me of Nik Backstrom and Pavel Datsyuk mix. He is not slow by any stretch of the imagination.

Zetterberg might be a good comp. for Rossi.

Both a little shorter, primarily a C but plays both wings, intangibles and ethic off the charts, full 200 foot game, skating is clunky but very efficient.

I was thinking Backstrom earlier but I don’t think he gets there offensively. Personally I think Zuccarello is the best comp in recent memory.

 

[SensFan1010]

i know rossi climbed pretty high up during this draft as he wasnt ranked 5th OA previously. Does anyone know any other players that are in the nhl today that did the same thing

 

[bert]

Pageaus skating is much better than Rossi’s. Not even a question

Agreed.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Too slow and too small... Seems to me we've heard that before about a prospect that ended up being a pretty good player.

Konecny?

If Rossi was a winger I’d think he’d be a very successful one. Someone compared him to Zetterberg and I think that’s a perfect comparable stylistically to Rossi. 2 way versatile do it all low centre of gravity heart and soul IQ chess player. Zetterberg was few inches bigger though and that’s pretty damn important against very tough defenders.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Konecny?

If Rossi was a winger I’d think he’d be a very successful one. Someone compared him to Zetterberg and I think that’s a perfect comparable stylistically to Rossi. 2 way versatile do it all low centre of gravity heart and soul IQ chess player. Zetterberg was few inches bigger though and that’s pretty damn important against very tough defenders.

No Konecny was not considered slow.
The player I was referring to was Wayne Gretzky. They said he was too small and too slow...

One pretty dominant 1C that was built like a small truck was Trottier. He was listed at 5'11'. 71 inches vs 69 inches ... now we are not talking 5 vs 7 here in the size matters discussion. Trottier was not a speedster.
'
I get the 5'9 concerns if he was 165 I'd worry more. I think his lower body power and his smarts will allow him to succeed. John Tavares is a bull, not fast by any means, and he plays C pretty effectively. Rossi is not fast but he's not slow and he is quick. Rossi already has a mature 2 way game.

Anyway I am not beating the big bass drum for him.. I think he belongs in the conversation at 5 and I think he overcomes his physical disadvantages. Its a very easy thing to lookup on hockeydb and form an opinion on player based on height. What he has , he's made it work for him pretty well so far.
Perfetti is 5'10, Raymond is 5'10... If we are picking one of those 3 forwards I don't think height is the top of the list criteria we are using for separating them.

 

[DrSense]

I think a poor man's Backstrom is a good example for Rossi. Adam Oates for old schoolers who remember him. Not super fast and tends to slow the play down and patiently wait for a good setup while maximizing puck possession. Backstrom is a bit bigger and faster than Rossi though.

The downside to this style - and some risk of why Rossi will not be a first liner - is he is not as aggressive going to the net and it tends to be a great style when playing against weaker or less disciplined teams - they eventually have a break down Rossi takes advantage of. Guys like Perfetti or Raymond, if given a crack, will make the move to get by the defender or get an edge on him and make their way to the net for a dangerous scoring chance via a shot or pass right away. Rossi is more likely to peel back and make his way back to the blueline as his trailers come into the zone and patiently wait for an even better chance.

At the pro level, there is risk Rossi is more easily dispossessed of the puck by bigger faster players when he tries to peel back who are not worried about being beaten by Rossi 1 on 1. I think the Pageau comparison is a decent one, although slightly different players, but I think Rossi will be a better play maker as a potential 2C than Pageau. Paguea likely a slightly better skater at the same age, but not as strong on his skates on the cylce.

Rossi is a sure fire pro with a pretty high floor IMO, but also a decent risk is more of a middle 6 forward than ever a guy that ever gets you 70 points or plays in an all-star game. At the same time, he is so smart, that if you put Rossi with two elite wingers in 3-5 years, he might really make that line click with his style and given the space he gets with two major threats on each wing. So if we have an elite #1 center who lifts the play of his line considerably, we might choose to take the more potent wingers and put them with a Rossi to have a more balanced 1-2 punch. So while I don't see Rossi as a true 1C, if Sens scouts are sold on him being a scoring line center, I'm fine with Rossi at 5, even though I like a few other players upside better.

 

[otown]

My biggest fear with Rossi is that he may be a good regular season player but may be battered and bruised during the playoffs to take him off his game. The playoffs are a completely different animal.
That goes for any player drafted.
Are they adaptable to a faster and more physical game?

 

[Micklebot]

Idk, Rossi is a better skater than Giroux a touch heavier and about an in and a half shorter or so. I think he will be fine.

He has the low center of gravity that allows him to fight off bigger opposition, i don't think you have to worry about him getting outmuscled the way many other small forwards do.

 

[DJB]

Idk, Rossi is a better skater than Giroux a touch heavier and about an in and a half shorter or so. I think he will be fine.

He has the low center of gravity that allows him to fight off bigger opposition, i don't think you have to worry about him getting outmuscled the way many other small forwards do.

Giroux has been my comp for Rossi as well. Both love to also play the left half wall on the pp too

 

[Sens Vader]

Rossi is the hardest guy to evaluate imo

Like when you watch him play you dont see the physical tools, hes not big, hes not fast, he doesnt have elite hands like a Stutzle, or an elite shot like a Quinn. But, then he puts up 120 friggin points, great vision, smarts, position, and work ethic.

The lack of physical tools is what stands out to me, but hes extremely effective. Its gonna be interesting to see what he becomes.

 

[saskytaxi]

Rossi's center of gravity around the puck reminds me of marchand and how hard he is to knock off the puck. Perfetti has some unreal skill and raymond. Going to be a hard pick for the sens to decide on.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

wrong thread.

Whoopsies

 

[benjiv1]

Stutzle/ Byfield @ 3
Raymond @ 5
Guhle @ NYI pick

And combine 2 of our 2nd Picks to take a chance on Lapierre.

Medium-term projection

Tkachuk-Byfield-Raymond
Formenton-Norris-Batherson
Brown-Brown-White

Chabot-JBD
Guhle-Brannstrom
Wooly-Thomson

 

[Sweatred]

No Konecny was not considered slow.
The player I was referring to was Wayne Gretzky. They said he was too small and too slow...

One pretty dominant 1C that was built like a small truck was Trottier. He was listed at 5'11'. 71 inches vs 69 inches ... now we are not talking 5 vs 7 here in the size matters discussion. Trottier was not a speedster.
'
I get the 5'9 concerns if he was 165 I'd worry more. I think his lower body power and his smarts will allow him to succeed. John Tavares is a bull, not fast by any means, and he plays C pretty effectively. Rossi is not fast but he's not slow and he is quick. Rossi already has a mature 2 way game.

Anyway I am not beating the big bass drum for him.. I think he belongs in the conversation at 5 and I think he overcomes his physical disadvantages. Its a very easy thing to lookup on hockeydb and form an opinion on player based on height. What he has , he's made it work for him pretty well so far.
Perfetti is 5'10, Raymond is 5'10... If we are picking one of those 3 forwards I don't think height is the top of the list criteria we are using for separating them.

Are we really comparing Johnny T to Rossi ? he is a zillion times better than Rossi. If Rossi’s born a few days sooner he is a Lassi tyoe puck last year who might translate well and exceed expectations with late development.

 

[Micklebot]

Are we really comparing Johnny T to Rossi ? he is a zillion times better than Rossi. If Rossi’s born a few days sooner he is a Lassi tyoe puck last year who might translate well and exceed expectations with late development.

Enough with the few days earlier thing, Rossi has the 12th pts per game by an 18 year old all time in the OHL, better then Matt Tkachuk, Marner, Hall, Spezza, or Tavares. No age advantage, he just plain outscored them in there respective 18 year old seasons.

18-Year Old OHL Players - Regular Season Stats

Age is an important consideration, Rossi's production is incredibly impressive taking into account his age.

 

[Sweatred]

Enough with the few days earlier thing, Rossi has the 12th pts per game by an 18 year old all time in the OHL, better then Matt Tkachuk, Marner, Hall, Spezza, or Tavares. No age advantage, he just plain outscored them in there respective 18 year old seasons.

18-Year Old OHL Players - Regular Season Stats

Age is an important consideration, Rossi's production is incredibly impressive taking into account his age.

Enough with shaming against that if he is a few days older he is a 20+ pick last year. There is balance in between but it doesn’t make him a 2-5 pick and you can’t just erase that reality.

 

[Micklebot]

Enough with shaming against that if he is a few days older he is a 20+ pick last year. There is balance in between but it doesn’t make him a 2-5 pick and you can’t just erase that reality.

What reality? The one where he is 12 all time for his age group? Yeah, that won't go away.

And your right, where he would have been had he been a couple weeks older and drafted last year doesn't make him a top 5 pick, what he did this year in his actual draft year does, you know, that whole historically good production for his age thing?

 

[GCK]

Zetterberg might be a good comp. for Rossi.

Both a little shorter, primarily a C but plays both wings, intangibles and ethic off the charts, full 200 foot game, skating is clunky but very efficient.

I was thinking Backstrom earlier but I don’t think he gets there offensively. Personally I think Zuccarello is the best comp in recent memory.

Zuccarello comp is an insult.

 

[BondraTime]

Rossi’s season was incredibly good regardless of age. If you drafted a guy at 17 years old 3rd overall and he put up Ross’s season, you are absolutely through the roof pumped.

 

[GCK]

Agreed.

Bert, you have seen him play a ton so I am surprised by this take. Pageau wasn’t overly fast and Rossi has good speed when he backchecks. Rossi never seems to go full out on the rush, he seems to slow it down and setup the D until they commit and then takes advantage of them. Either way you are either under selling Rossi or over selling Pageau.

 

[GCK]

Rossi's center of gravity around the puck reminds me of marchand and how hard he is to knock off the puck. Perfetti has some unreal skill and raymond. Going to be a hard pick for the sens to decide on.

Easy for me. Give me Raymond to go with the 1LC we got at 3,

 

[Sweatred]

What reality? The one where he is 12 all time for his age group? Yeah, that won't go away.

And your right, where he would have been had he been a couple weeks older and drafted last year doesn't make him a top 5 pick, what he did this year in his actual draft year does, you know, that whole historically good production for his age thing?

Ya ... not really .. ask Quinn and Sokolov how age skews production.

 

[Micklebot]

Ya ... not really .. ask Quinn and Sokolov how age skews production.

Oh, are they 12 in pts/gp in all of the ohl's history as 18 year olds too? Neat.

 

[Sweatred]

Oh, are they 12 in pts/gp in all of the ohl's history as 18 year olds too? Neat.

What round do you draft Sokolov ?

 

[GCK]

Enough with shaming against that if he is a few days older he is a 20+ pick last year. There is balance in between but it doesn’t make him a 2-5 pick and you can’t just erase that reality.

What are you basing that comment on. I think he would have likely gone much earlier than 20. He had 65 points And was +51 in 53 reg season games and 22 points in 17 playoff games playing down in the lineup with limited special teams time. IMO he goes top 10 last year.