By Nicholas Carafa
Photo by Terry Wilson

The Sudbury Wolves are in the midst of a difficult stretch characteristic of many rebuilding franchises. As the young Wolves claw back to OHL’s top tier, second-year winger Michael Pezzetta – “Mr. Consistent,” according to head coach David Matsos – will be expected to carry the bulk of the load.

The Wolves were in dire need of a big, strong forward entering the 2014 OHL draft and found their man with the 11th overall selection, selecting Pezzetta from the Mississauga Senators.

Now listed at six-foot-one and 204 pounds, Pezzetta became accustomed to combining his size advantage with his offensive skills in the GTHL. In his minor midget season, Pezzetta collected 26 points (11-15—26) in 29 regular-season games and added a point per game at the 2014 OHL Cup (3-2—5).

Now facing 19 and 20-year-old opponents, Pezzetta is learning to adapt his “my way or the highway” approach on the ice. In his sophomore season with the Wolves, the Toronto, Ont., native has compiled 12 points in 26 games (9-3—12) and has embraced the added duties that come with being a second-year player.

One of Pezzetta’s biggest areas of improvement, according to Matsos, is that “his defensive game has gotten better.” That means Wolves fans are seeing No. 13 on the ice in the final minute of the third period – whether the team is trying to protect a lead or tie the game. The added trust has also led to significant penalty kill time.

Matsos is now working to spark offensive chemistry between Pezzetta and David Levin, the team’s first overall pick last spring. He shifted Pezzetta, whom he calls “the ultimate teammate,” to the wing to have Levin in his natural position at center.

“That is what defines Michael. He takes care of the kids that are younger than him and has respect for the kids that are older than him,” said Matsos in a phone interview earlier this week.

“If you could have 10 Pezzettas on your team, I’m sure any coach would.”

It’s not just Matsos who has noticed Pezzetta’s impressive play as of late. After being left off NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary list of prospects for the 2016 NHL Draft, Pezzetta was rated as a “C” prospect on the updated “watch list” in November, indicating he could be a fourth-to-sixth round candidate.  

Though rankings aren’t entirely indicative of draft order, the significance of cracking the list was not lost on Pezzetta.

“I was eating lunch with some of the guys after school and we heard there was a list out, so it was nice to see my name and a couple of other guys, too,” Pezzetta told Bruce Heidman of the Sudbury Star last week. “Obviously I want to keep moving up, but to see your name on the list after working so hard, it’s nice to be rewarded.”

“I’m not sure if he can do a cartwheel but I think he would’ve done one if he could,” said Matsos about Pezzetta’s reaction to the updated list. “He couldn’t even wipe the smile off his face. As far as it goes with our team, he’s a special guy. He stands for everything we believe in. He’s just going to continue to grow.”

Matsos says Pezzetta doesn’t have to do anything special like score 40 goals – he just has to continue playing his honest, hard-working game.

The young man they call “Pez,” is just as consistent off the ice as he is on it. He’s an A-plus student keeping all options open, preparing to trade a hockey stick for a stethoscope if hockey doesn’t pan out. Matsos is confident that Pezzetta will succeed in either career, but is also certain that NHL scouts understand that statistics don’t highlight a player’s full potential. 

“If you’re on a team filled with a bunch of superstars then your point production is going to be a lot higher,” Matsos said. “In junior, it all depends where you are in your cycle in terms of the age of your team.”

Though the prominence of small skilled players is on the rise – highlighted by the likes of recent first-round draft picks Max Domi and Mitch Marner – the NHL is, at end of the day, still a hard-nose League starving for power guys willing to win battles and make plays.

“He’s willing to pay the price,” said Matsos. “I think any coach at any level is hungry to have kids like Michael. Players like him will never be weeded out of the game.”

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