Wild Center Having Breakout Season

A key center for the Minnesota Wild is having a breakout season.

Dec 6, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi (23) moves the puck against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

It's been an arduous road to the NHL for Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi. The team's first round pick in 2020 had his entire hockey career put on pause in 2021. First, COVID-19 kept him off the ice for several months, and then a heart condition was discovered when he arrived at Minnesota for training camp.

Three years later, the Wild center is not only healthy, but thriving in a breakout season for Minnesota. Rossi's become the team's top center this season and is a huge reason why the Wild are in a playoff position in the Central Division.

Through the first 35 games, he has 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points, putting him on pace to finish near the 60-point mark for the first time in his NHL career. For the 23-year-old, the breakout season has not only cemented Rossi's journey to the NHL, it's made him a core player in Minnesota.

The team's general manager and president of hockey operations Bill Guerin was asked about Rossi recently by team writer Michael Russo of The Athletic. There's been trade speculation surrounding the pending free agent, but Guerin made it clear how pleased the organization is with Rossi and how important he is to their team.

“I’m very happy with Marco – oh my god, yeah,” Guerin said. “Just his pace of play, his engagement every night, he has been one of our best players. I think the biggest thing, too — and I know this is the hardest thing for young players — is his consistency. We were commenting last game, he’s one of our better net-front presence guys. And he’s not the biggest guy, but he stands in there and that’s why he’s getting rewarded. All his goals are from 10 feet and less. He’s doing all the right stuff."

Rossi is playing like a number one center during this breakout season for Minnesota. He's skating most of his even strength ice-time with MVP candidate Kirill Kaprizov and veteran winger Mats Zuccarello. And he's been a driving force for the line, doing a ton of the dirty work and getting to the front of the net. His game has improved leaps and bounds, and his breakout year is fueling the Wild into the 2025 NHL Playoffs.

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