College Choice Pays Off for Marco Rosa
College choice pays off
New Moose earns degree, then pursues pro dream
By KEN WIEBE, SUN MEDIA
Complete
Article on Merrimack Alum Marco Rosa
With all due respect to the fast-food industry, Marco Rosa
didn't want to risk ending up in the field so he turned his back on
the Ontario Hockey League and went the college route instead.
It wasn't an easy decision, but after a strong Tier II junior
career with the Wexford Raiders near his hometown of Scarborough,
Rosa earned a scholarship to Merrimack College.
"My decision to go to school happened pretty early," said Rosa, who
was drafted in the OHL by the Belleville Bulls. "This was back when
they weren't offering great packages to CIS. There were a couple of
TV specials that showed some of the kids who went to the OHL and
didn't make (the pros) ended up working at Swiss Chalet when they
were 22. They showed that life and then showed the life of a
college kid that still had the opportunity to make the NHL but had
his degree.
"Even though I wanted to go to the OHL, my parents thought it would
be smarter to go to college."
In the end, the decision worked out for Rosa, who earned his
communications degree at Merrimack and still ended up getting a
shot at the pro game.
Rosa spent much of the past two seasons with the Houston Aeros and
despite the sting of losing Game 6 to the Moose last spring, he
couldn't resist signing with the Manitoba Moose when the
opportunity arose in July.
"The Moose organization speaks for itself," said Rosa, who had 16
goals and 40 points in 69 games last season. "It was just a place
where there was opportunity. Every guy in the league has heard
about their reputation. It was a no-brainer when they asked me to
come and join their team.
"I had other options, but it was a matter of seeing what fits best
for me. It was heartbreaking to lose to them in the playoffs, but
I'm happy to be on this side."
Although he is on an AHL contract, Rosa got an invite to training
camp with the parent Vancouver Canucks.
"You want to go there and leave an impression," said Rosa, who was
chosen in the eighth round (255th overall) by the Dallas Stars in
the 2001 NHL Entry Draft but never signed a contract with the
club.
Rosa is no stranger to leaving an impression, as his inspired play
against the Moose last season helped him garner a contract this
summer.
"He's got a great pair of hands on him," said Moose head coach
Scott Arniel. "The reason he's here this year was how well he
played against us. He played in a lot of key situations (for the
Aeros) and he's going to be a good player.
"He might be one of the real sleepers in the pile here."
As it stands right now, Rosa will either be used in an offensive
role on the second line or perhaps on the energy line, where he'll
be asked to shutdown the opposition's top line and also chip in
some offence.
"He's very versatile, he can do it all," said Arniel. "He's going
to be a guy we try to utilize in a lot of different situations
throughout the year."
Rosa is fine with whatever role he ends up playing.
"I'm a good, two-way player and I've been used all over the map --
it depends on what the coaches need," said Rosa, noting that he is
good on draws as well. "When you're on a good team and you want to
stay in the lineup, you have to be able to play a lot of different
positions. I'm lucky enough I can play in different spots. I'm a
team player and wherever he puts me, I'm going to try my
hardest.
"My biggest upside is being an all-around player that can play at
both ends of the ice."
