The Philadelphia Flyers have announced the signing of forward Massimo Rizzo to a two-year, entry-level contract commencing with the 2024-25 season, as confirmed by General Manager Daniel Briere.
Rizzo, 22 (born on June 13, 2001), recorded 44 points (10 goals, 34 assists) in 30 games with the University of Denver in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) during the 2023-24 season. The Burnaby, British Columbia native, standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing 185 pounds, played a pivotal role in helping the Pioneers secure their historic 10th NCAA National Championship on April 13, claiming his second national title (previously in 2021-22).
As a left-handed forward, he ranked third in the NCHC for assists and tied for fifth in overall scoring. Within his team, he ranked second in assists, third in points, and tied for fifth in game-winning goals (2). Throughout the season, Rizzo notched 13 multi-point games, including four instances where he matched his career-best of four points on October 8, November 25, January 19, and January 20.
He recorded an eight-game point streak (5 goals, 12 assists for 17 points) from October 7 to November 4, and a seven-game assist streak (2 goals, 10 assists for 12 points) from November 24 to January 5. His outstanding performance earned him various accolades including selection to the NCHC All-Conference Second Team, National Co-Player of the Month for October, NCHC’s Player of the Month for October, and NCHC’s Player of the Week on October 30.
In his career spanning three seasons (2021-24) at the University of Denver, Rizzo accumulated 126 points (39 goals, 87 assists) across 107 games, including 10 power-play goals and seven game-winning goals. He was recognized for his academic achievements by being named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team twice (in 2021-22 and 2022-23).
Additionally, he was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award in 2022-23 and received numerous hockey accolades such as All-NCHC First Team (2022-23), NCHC Forward of the Week twice (January 9, 2023; February 13, 2023), Finalist for NCHC Forward of the Year (2022-23), Finalist for NCHC Rookie of the Year (2021-22), NCHC Rookie of the Month (October 2021), and NCHC Rookie of the Week (October 11, 2021).
Philadelphia acquired Rizzo’s rights on August 9, 2023, along with a fifth-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes that involved the rights to forward David Kase. Rizzo was initially drafted by the Hurricanes in the seventh round (216th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. Before joining the Pioneers, he accumulated 122 points (43 goals, 79 assists) in 132 games across parts of four seasons (2016-20) with Penticton and Coquitlam in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).
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