Marco Rossi's season ended doubly bitterly. © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / BRUCE BENNETT

After demotion: Frustration for Austria's ice hockey star

The ice hockey season ended doubly bitterly for Marco Rossi.

05 May 2025

From: apa

The Vorarlberg striker was eliminated in the first round of the North American NHL playoffs with the Minnesota Wild and was "very disappointed" with his role in the six games against the Vegas Golden Knights, he explained at a media briefing on Sunday. His future in Minnesota is uncertain.

Rossi was his team's second-leading scorer in the regular season with 24 goals and 36 assists, but coach John Hynes demoted him to the fourth line in the playoffs. The center received the third-least ice time of the entire team, but recorded two goals and one assist.

Honest end-of-season conversation

"I was really disappointed, but I have to accept it," Rossi said. He also shared this with Hynes during the usual end-of-season meeting. "It was an honest conversation, a discussion between men."

Rossi has been scoring heavily this season. © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / BEN JACKSON

Rossi is convinced he still belongs in one of the offensive lines. "I've shown all year that I'm good, improving from 40 to 60 points this year. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm always on the rise, that I'm always improving. I have no doubt that I'm a top-six player," he emphasized.

Rossi hasn't missed a game in two seasons

The Vorarlberg native is proud to be the only Wild player who – despite recurring aches and pains – has played all 170 games of the past two seasons. Whether he will stay in St. Paul remains to be seen. His contract has expired, and he is now a restricted free agent. He can sign with another club starting in July, but Minnesota has a right of first refusal.

He answered the question of whether he wants to stay here with a resounding "Yes, of course." Whether that will become reality will be determined during contract negotiations. "I'm still digesting the first-round defeat, and my agents will take care of the rest," Rossi explained. He's now heading home for a vacation and then starting training for next season in Vorarlberg, wherever he ends up playing.