Massimo Rizzo (ice hockey)

Last updated

Massimo Rizzo
Born (2001-06-13) June 13, 2001 (age 23)
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 Philadelphia Flyers
Lehigh Valley Phantoms  (AHL)
NHL draft 216th overall, 2019
Carolina Hurricanes
Playing career 2024–present

Massimo Rizzo (June 13, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was an All-American at the University of Denver and helped their ice hockey program win a national championship in 2022 and 2024. [1]

Contents

Playing career

The Burnaby native was a standout player in juniors, averaging at or near two points per game for his U-18 clubs before joining the Penticton Vees in 2017. While his production was lower, the competition was also much tougher. Despite dealing with multiple injuries in his second year, his scoring exploits made him attractive enough as a prospect for the Carolina Hurricanes to select Rizzo near the end of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. [2] The following year, Rizzo was a member of the Coquitlam Express and helped the club finish atop the league standings. Once they got into the postseason, Rizzo led the team in scoring by the end of the first round series, however, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the remainder of the playoffs. [3] Rizzo sat out the entire season and prepared himself for the start of his collegiate career.

Rizzo debuted for the University of Denver in 2021 and joined a team that had narrowly missed the NCAA tournament the year before. He combined with several other freshmen to provide an instant boost for the Pioneers and propelled the team to a first-place finish in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). Denver stumbled a bit in the conference tournament but went on a run in the NCAA bracket. Rizzo scored the team's third goal in the title game and helped Denver win their ninth championship in program history. [4] The following year, Rizzo led the team in scoring, helping them once again win a league crown. While he was named as an All-American, he could not get the team to repeat as champions and the Pioneers were knocked out in the first round.

On August 9, 2023, Rizzo's rights were traded along with a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for the rights to David Kase. [5] On April 17, 2024, Rizzo was signed to a two-year, entry-level contract by the Flyers. [6]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
2016–17 Penticton Vees BCHL 3000071010
2017–18 Penticton Vees BCHL 50132639201146106
2018–19 Penticton Vees BCHL 371129402463362
2019–20 Coquitlam Express BCHL 421925442644376
2021–22 University of Denver NCHC 3912243648—————
2022–23 University of DenverNCHC3817294614—————
2023–24 University of DenverNCHC3010243410—————
NCAA totals107398712672—————

Awards and honours

AwardYearRef
College
NCHC All-Rookie Team 2022 [7]
All-NCHC First Team 2023, 2024 [8]
AHCA West Second Team All-American 2023, 2024 [1] [9]

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References

  1. 1 2 "2022-23 Men's CCM Hockey Division I All-Americans". ahcahockey.com. April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Carolina Hurricanes excited about Massimo Rizzo's skill level, despite injuries". Grand Forks Herald. June 25, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  3. ↑ "CJHL Announces Official Cancellation for Remainder of 2019-20 season". CJHL. March 13, 2020.
  4. ↑ Trefzger, Ed (April 9, 2022). "Most Outstanding Player Benning redeems himself for penalty with Denver's game-winning goal". USCHO. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  5. ↑ Sportsnet staff (August 9, 2023). "Flyers trade David Kase to Hurricanes for Massimo Rizzo, fifth-round pick". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Flyers Sign Massimo Rizzo to a Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract". NHL.com. April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Record four Pioneers, two Fighting Hawks recognized for strong freshman seasons". nchchockey.com. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  8. ↑ "NCHC Reveals 2022-23 All-Conference Teams". NCHC. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Top 25 men's college hockey players earn distinction as CCM/AHCA Hockey All-Americans for 2023-24 season". USCHO.com. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
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