Late-round look at Cicchello
It is almost certain that not only will Camaryn Baber be picked within the top two (or three) rounds of this Saturday’s Ontario Hockey League draft but that the Soo Greyhounds forward will be the first player taken from the Great North Midget Hockey League. And while there is no such certainty regarding Tristano Cicchello, the Soo defenseman looms as an intriguing late-round possibility.
At 5-foot-9, 150 pounds, Cicchello does not have size on his side. But as a 2001 birth-year player who just turned 16, Cicchello has a lot going for him.
A fluid skater with good speed, Cicchello flashed an offensive side during the Great North regular season with 9 goals, 16 assists, 25 points in 31 games. His strong season earned him a spot on Team NOHA at last month’s OHL Cup.
Greyhounds assistant coach Dominic Deluca sees a lot of potential in Cicchello.
“He’s a creative player with good offensive instincts as a d-man,” DeLuca told HockeyNewsNorth.com. “He needs to learn when to pick his spots to jump in and join the rush but he definitely has good vision and he plays a lot bigger than he is.”
To be sure, while Cicchello does appear to have OHL potential, it should be noted that the draft is 15 rounds in length and many good players annually slip between the cracks.
But in the case of Cicchello — and other potential late-round picks — the words of Sudbury-based Mark Seidel of the North American Central Scouting firm come to mind — “All it takes is for one team to love you.”