Massimo Rizzo (ice hockey)

Massimo Rizzo
Born (2001-06-13) June 13, 2001
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 Free agent
NHL draft 216th overall, 2019
Carolina Hurricanes
Playing career 2024–present

Massimo Rizzo (June 13, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He was most recently under contract to the New York Rangers 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]

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 Kaše.[5] On April 17, 2024, Rizzo was signed to a two-year, entry-level contract by the Flyers.[6]

During the 2025–26 season, having played exclusively in the ECHL with the Flyers secondary affiliate, the Reading Royals, Rizzo was traded by Philadelphia alongside Alexis Gendron to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Brett Harrison and Jackson Edward on March 6, 2026.[7] Just six days later, Rizzo was traded a second time, going to the Nashville Predators alongside Dalton Bancroft in exchange for Navrin Mutter.[8] Rizzo played out the remainder of the season with in the AHL with Predators affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, posting 5 points through 13 games.

On June 27, 2026, with his contract expiring, Rizzo was again traded, dealt by the Predators alongside a 2026 fifth-round pick to the New York Rangers in exchange for Adam Edström.[9]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2016–17 Penticton Vees BCHL 30000 71010
2017–18 Penticton Vees BCHL 5013263920 1146106
2018–19 Penticton Vees BCHL 3711294024 63362
2019–20 Coquitlam Express BCHL 4219254426 44376
2021–22 University of Denver NCHC 3912243648 —————
2022–23 University of Denver NCHC 3817294614 —————
2023–24 University of Denver NCHC 3010243410 —————
2024–25 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 466121810 —————
2025–26 Reading Royals ECHL 296162210 —————
2025–26 Providence Bruins AHL 10000 —————
2025–26 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 132354 —————
AHL totals 608152314 —————

Awards and honours

Award Year Ref
College
NCHC All-Rookie Team 2022 [10]
All-NCHC First Team 2023, 2024 [11]
AHCA West Second Team All-American 2023, 2024 [1][12]

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. ↑ "Bruins acquire Massimo Rizzo, Alexis Gendron from Flyers for Brett Harrison, Jackson Edward". Sportsnet.ca. March 6, 2026. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  8. ↑ Ellis, Steven (March 12, 2026). "Predators, Bruins swap prospects ahead of AHL Trade Deadline". dailyfaceoff.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Rangers acquire fifth-round pick and Massimo Rizzo in exchange for Adam Edstrom". New York Rangers. June 27, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Record four Pioneers, two Fighting Hawks recognized for strong freshman seasons". nchchockey.com. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  11. ↑ "NCHC Reveals 2022-23 All-Conference Teams". NCHC. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  12. ↑ "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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