While Marco Kasper had to end his season after just one NHL game due to a broken kneecap, the second young Austrian center is about to make a comeback in the world’s strongest ice hockey league. Marco Rossi was called up to the NHL by the Minnesota Wild on Sunday and could play away to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.
Rossi earned the promotion after a strong season for the American Hockey League (AHL) farm team Iowa Wild, capitalizing on the Minnesota Wild’s recent injury streak. With Mason Shaw (end of the season), Joel Eriksson Ek (week-long absence) and Oskar Sundqvist (missing for several days), three centers have been injured since the beginning of the month, which is why the 21-year-old from Vorarlberg was pulled up and right in town after the Iowa game in Chicago has stayed.
Rossi made his NHL debut in January last year with two games and has also started the current season on coach Dean Evason’s team. After 16 games this season, however, he was transferred to the farm team in Des Moines, where he impressed with good offensive statistics. With 50 points (16 goals, 34 assists) in 51 games, he is Iowa’s second-best scorer behind veteran Nic Petan (60), who has also been called up to the Minnesota NHL squad.
Minnesota has the ticket for the playoff fixed before the remaining three games in the regular season.