Gianfranco Del Rocco Rookie Experience

[Victor 10,993]

26 games into Del Rocco's rookie season...

 

Gianfranco Del Rocco's step up to the VHL hasn't been a complete disaster but it hasn't been smooth sailing by any means. At the time of writing we are 26 games into Season 93, with the young Italian stallion is just below a point-per-game pace, not unlike his one full season in the VHLM two seasons ago. Onlookers hoping for clear progress from the player in two years are left yearning for more, although there is something to be said about carrying roughly the same level from the minor leagues through to the big stage – Del Rocco is at the very least not getting complacent or standing still.
 

Familiar themes from his VHLM and VHLE days continue to creep up in the VHL however. After scoring Seattle's first goal of the season and recently notching his first VHL hat-trick, it is notable that those 4 goals account for over a third of Del Rocco's entire output to date – consistency has been hard to come by and he continues to blow hot and cold. Whilst not completely adrift in the rookie scoring race, currently sitting in fourth place in the rankings, the 10-point gap to fellow Italian Antonia Bucatini is unlikely to close based on what we've seen so far. Of course, Bucatini has a more prominent role on a rebuilding Davos squad, not unlike Del Rocco's star role in Vasteras last season, while Del Rocco has taken a step back to the bottom of the depth chart at defending champions Seattle. The scoring spread on the Bears reflects that reality – 3 forwards are roughly 20 points clear of the rest of the team with Del Rocco falling firmly within (although pleasingly not rock bottom of) that second group.
 

There's not much new information that we can really glean from Del Rocco's rookie experience with eerily similar stat lines across three different leagues undoubtedly leaving scouts scratching their heads at what exactly the young forward's full potential looks like. Does this VHL start suggest future Hall of Fame aspirations? Not necessarily. Does it immediately undermine such goals? Not really either. It appears that for the time being Del Rocco is satisfied being a cog in the wheel of a successful team, picking up experience from a strong locker room. A Continental Cup victory as a rookie would certainly be a promising start to a promising career, but no one in Seattle is counting their chickens yet, not in such a competitive North American Conference. What role, if any, their former second overall pick has to play in the season's business end remains to be seen.