Likely the best dual-threat offensive weapon in this 2009 American class, Rocco Pelosi continued to demonstrate why he’s ranked top amongst his peers. His lethal scoring touch was present in a multitude of ways over the set of games he laced up in. He can finish off crafty passing plays with a bullet of a one-timer, along with create chances of his own, carrying the puck under his own power with a strong stride and making a quick move in step then to transition it into a bullet of a wrister. Even if goalies appear to be positionally sound against his shot, he still finds a way to overpower them, and almost shoot through them, making him so tough to stop. Combine this lethal power with his ability to curl-and-drag the puck, changing the release point last second, along with using defenders as screens, and you have an incredibly unpredictable shooting threat to try to stop, both for defenders, and goaltenders. His catch-and-release ability further rounds out his shooting talents, he can catch a puck, rotate around it with few stickhandles, and rip it on net with little space needed. Moving on to his playmaking game; he sees the ice so well and has all the tools needed to connect on passes. Underrated in regards to his mobility in comparison to how good the rest of his skills are, he can spin off checks and open lanes to hit teammates with passes in the slot, further cementing just how tough he can be to contain. He handles the puck softly, giving him the leeway to make dynamic moves and quickly react to openings to slip passes past opponents. It should be noted that his scoring prowess does open up more playmaking options for him, as he can easily freeze opponents with a fake shot, only to slip off a pass to an open man elsewhere. He rounds out his play with some aggressive stick checking work away from the puck, landing quick and accurate pokes and lifts, he was able to quickly turn the tide of possession and begin forming a counterattack after forcing a turnover in a battle that was either along the boards or in open ice. There is so much to like about Pelosi’s game from several different angles, and physically, seems to be just scratching the surface as to what he may grow in to.

Pelosi was outstanding in all five games, serving as a primary play driver for his team throughout the tournament. He showcased exceptional speed and elusiveness, making it easy for him to gain the zone. Once he entered the offensive zone, he frequently made a determined dash toward the net, confidently attacking defenders one-on-one he would hold up at the blue line waiting for his teammates to enter the zone. He utilized his excellent skating to peel down the wing anticipating a forward's movement toward the net. Pelosi was very impressive with the puck on his stick, effectively using his body to fend off defenders and using is great skating and quick cuts allowed him to gain separation from opposing defensemen, and once he created that space, he typically generated a quality scoring chance. Pelosi’s shot was on full display during the tournament; his wrist shot was exceptional. He loved to toe drag before releasing the puck, creating a better angle to get it through the defender. He was willing to shoot from anywhere on the ice, and his combination of great skating and powerful shot resulted in some elite shifts in the offensive zone.

For about a 12-months now, Rocco Pelosi has remained our top-ranked 2009-born American skater, and of course, is the top ranked forward as a result. From day one of our coverage of this class he immediately set himself apart from his peers with some great strength, power, and scoring abilities that have only evolved over time. In terms of raw puck handling ability, and sheer possession game he is elite at protecting the puck, prolonging his time when handling the puck, putting it into hard-to-reach areas around his body, pulling in attention and executing dazzling moves to create space. He slips off some crafty passes from his hip pocket and with the stick extended, adding another feather to his cap regarding his offensive versatility. His usage of teammates when moving the puck off the cycle, pulling apart defensive systems, and slipping into soft ice is what makes him such a lethal goal scorer. He reads the game well, knows how to create chances for others which ultimately gets reciprocated. He’s far from a perimeter player and does an excellent job at finding that space in the home plate area, holding his ground, and ripping a shot on the net. He owns a good mix of shot volume and quality, not one to throw away the puck on a needless shot, he is willing to defer and wait for his looks, but at the same time, when an opportunity to shoot arises, he shows no hesitation in making the most of his top-line release. Playing up the middle throughout many of his AAA games, he has also shown great comfortability between the faceoff dot, along with playing without the puck. Owning a strong frame, he can overpower opponents in defensive situations, win pucks, and transition up the ice with some nice explosiveness in his first few steps. His skating is another strength of his game; he won’t always burn you with elite top-end speed, or bursts of speed, but he carries the puck with great poise, control, and pace, combining his hockey sense and processing with impressive footwork and good balance, he is an asset and a leader, in transitions as a result. There are very little weaknesses to Pelosi’s game at this stage relative to the demands of competition, without a glaring issue he is incredibly well-rounded and looks to be the number one contender to claim that 1st-line center spot on the next iteration of the U17 NTDP. Already attracting the eyes and attention of some NHL scouts at this young point in his hockey career as well.

It seems that anywhere Pelosi goes he’s going to find a way to produce, thanks in large part due to his elite shooting acumen and finishing ability, as finished tied for second on the team in points with 6 in 4 games. While he’s not necessarily a playdriver, he still possesses the physical tools to play a highly effective power game with some very high-end puck skills to boot. With the puck on his stick he maintains a very low center of gravity while using a powerful skating stride to cover large chunks of ice as he gallops downhill with the ability to change direction on a dime and use his hands to carve through defenders in a singular motion. He made a series of highlight reel rushes in this fashion, sometimes pulling pucks through multiple defenders at a time in order to break in alone for a chance. Below the hashmarks in the offensive he proved virtually impossible to knock off the puck, demonstrating strong puck protection technique to operate off the cycle before leveraging his puck skills to attack the middle of the ice. He knows how to create space for himself to open up shooting lanes, either attacking laterally through hands or using fake shots to get defenders to drop before working his way around them. Off-puck he did a great job of winning inside positioning defenders, attacking the middle of the ice and making himself a backdoor option for tap in goals.

Fresh off a National Championship victory, Rocco Pelosi was able to take his game a step further in the World Selects Invitational, asserting himself in the offensive zone with his downhill, in-your-face style of play. He is a very powerful skater who likes to enter the zone with speed and challenge defenders 1-on-1 using his strength, vision and blistering shot to create chances for his team. His ability to fire a powerful and accurate shot from all kinds of shooting situations remains one of his greatest attributes and he knows it as he plays with a lot of confidence on the ice, being aggressive with his shot and not passing up on opportunities to get the puck to the net but at the same time, staying unpredictable by breaking out his impressive playmaking arsenal using subtle fakes and delays to open up defenders allowing plays to develop and having the vision to spot open teammates. He shows a strong drive and determination to win puck battles using his impressive core strength and an understanding of leverage/body positioning to win those battles but also to protect the puck from his opponents after he has gained possession.

Game-in, and game-out Rocco Pelosi was one of the best players at the event, and continued to show off as to why he is our top ranked 2009-born American. Leading the Mount St. Charles team to a championship, he flexed his muscles in several different ways through the event, both in offensive means, along with away from the puck, and displaying a high level of athleticism in the process, boding well for future development of the rest of his tools. His ability to facilitate play and piece together sequences is amongst some of the best in the class, if not the best; quick one-touch passes in tight areas, rotations off the wall and into the middle utilizing his teammates, and overall, just a great usage of timing, patience, and space. He slows down the game so well when the puck is on his stick, extremely confident as he traverses the ice, the quick hands, and powerful feet with excellent vision playing with his head up makes him a dominant puck carrying threat. Listed at 5’9, 152lbs, he’s not the biggest skater, but has great size, can endure contact like the best of them, and makes plays from within he dots on a frequent basis in tough checked areas of the ice. Another admirable element to his game, was that in many of the matches he played Mount St. Charles dominated the other team, in which case games akin to such may lead to sloppy defense and cheating for offense - Pelosi did none of the such and was committed to 200-foot excellence through-and-through. During the championship game he was an integral piece on the penalty kill, pressuring opponents, taking away ice, and surveying the defensive zone very well against a lethal Shattuck St. Mary’s offense.

Pelosi’s power game and finishing ability were yet again on full display here at the Select 16 Camp. He’s very difficult to knock off the puck below the hashmarks in the offensive zone, demonstrating strong puck protection technique in order to thrive off the cycle. He’s also difficult to contain once he starts moving in the neutral zone, which was most evident when he picked up a pass at full stride off the rush, split through two defenders and made a drop pass to a teammate in space. It was Pelosi who got his team going in the second half with a big goal by anticipating the play up the boards, stealing the puck then attacking downhill before firing an absolute laser short side over the goaltender.

While he wasn’t exactly driving play for his line, what made Pelosi standout in this one was his intelligent and competitive work off the puck to go along with some high-end finishing ability. He scored the game’s first goal by getting heavy on the forecheck causing a turnover, receiving a drop pass in the slot and wristing a perfect shot below the blocker. He had a really interesting sequence in the first half of the game when he picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, attacked the offensive zone, faked a shot to get a defender to bite and pulled it around him before sliding a cross-ice backhand pass to a teammate in the slot. His second goal of the game turned out to be the game winner, as he was able to win inside body positioning on a defender while attacking the front of the net and deflected in a cross-ice pass to give his team the victory.

Capping off what was a tremendous tournament for himself, Rocco Pelosi earns himself a strong 4-out-5 game score in the championship tilt. In a game that didn’t feature much open time and space, he was consistently involved on the puck carrying it in transition, along with rifling pucks on net before defenders could take away his option. In the congested areas of the ice, Pelosi was able to penetrate them with his powerful stride, blowing around defenders laterally, and creating some time and space for himself. Examples of this just go to show that even against some of the top teams in his age group, Pelosi is still able to use his abilities to continue his playstyle. He picked up an assist on the PP sending a pass over to Steven Cover who opened the scoring. The vision, deception, and passing accuracy all were key elements in firing off a firm tape-to-tape pass to pick up an assist. On the opposite end of the ice, he was strong between the dots, taking away passing lanes, covering for his defenders, and covering his defensive assignments well. He continued to have some good looks on net, whether it be quickly getting a shot off from a prime area on the cycle, or attacking off the rush and snapping a hard shot on net in stride. All in all, a great conclusion to a great tournament for our top ranked 2009-born American skater.

Pelosi was a magnet for the puck all throughout by reading the game at such an elite level and putting himself into the right positions to finish scoring chances. He was aggressive when driving the net in transition and was rewarded in a big way with 4 goals showing elite finishing ability by using his body to shield opponents stick checks when driving to the net, having an exceptional awareness to slide into open space inside the offensive zone, and opening up his hips when receiving passes on odd man rushes to put some scary power into his shot that gave the goalie no chance to react after the puck explodes off his stick. He was also very active in puck battles throwing his body into opponents to win battles and made a nice defensive play on the penalty kill in the third period when he chipped a loose puck past a pinching defenseman and finished off a give-and-go 2-on-0 with Gualberto Jr.

The next superstar performance of this game, Rocco Pelosi asserted his dominance and 200-foot impact in this one as he led his team to the championship game appearance for Sunday. Early in the game it was once again evident the power and speed he has within his stride was an asset of his to create space, carry the puck through crowded areas with ease, place defenders on their heels, and attack off the rush. He was very fluid in his ability to make quick adjustments in the face off pressure, cut in laterally, position the puck accordingly away from opponents, and change the angle to his passes and shooting lanes as a result. As a whole his approach to carrying the puck in transition was relatively simple, he didn’t pull off too many flashy 1-on-1 moves, but it goes to show just how effective he is with his speed, athleticism, power, and puck management. He was a valuable piece on the penalty kill for his team as well, covering his assignments well, moving laterally and getting into lanes, he was able to pick off a few passes and took away plenty of shooting lanes in the process. His offensive involvement came mostly in the form of quick passes to the middle, pulling in checkers, and elevating his linemates in the process. He picked up an assist on the 3-0 goal by having a dogged effort on the backcheck in the offensive zone, stripping an opponent of the puck, spinning away from some contact, and then proceeded to send a beautiful pass to Braiden Scuderi. He scored the 5-1 goal later in the game to put things away, ripping a puck to the top corner to put things away, flexing his goal scoring ability that for the most part was hidden for the majority of the game, but it goes to show that all he needs is one-or-two chances to change the game.

Throughout the game, Pelosi showed how versatile of a player he was with the puck on his stick. On a power play early in the game, he stepped into a loose puck on the side of the net and wired a shot short side with such a quick snap of the wrist that caught the goalie by surprise. He showed his ability to score in tight as well in the second period when he sped past a defender received a pass from his teammate in stride and pulled of a nice backhand-forehand move. He saw the ice well and found ways to get pucks through sticks especially in transition and when roaming in the offensive zone and early in the third period, he made a nice pass off the wall through a couple Sioux Falls players to find Gualberto Jr in the slot for his hat trick goal. When he decided to hold on to the puck a bit longer, he did a good job at protecting the puck and extending plays and he did just that on the last Mount St. Charles goal late in the third when he was protecting the puck along the blue line and just when it looked like he was out of space, made a quick spin move and found an open teammate. He created a lot of chances for his teammates and made the most of his opportunities with the puck.