DENVER – Junior Massimo Rizzo of the University of Denver hockey team has been named to Team Canada's roster for the 2023 Spengler Cup, Hockey Canada announced on Friday.
 
The Spengler Cup is an annual invitational tournament held every December in Davos, Switzerland. The tournament primarily features professional hockey teams in Europe, but Canada has sent a squad every year since 1984 (tournament wasn't played in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic).
 
Rizzo, 22, leads Division-I NCAA hockey at the holiday break with 31 points and 24 assists through 18 games. He has also added seven goals, including scoring the overtime-winning marker in the Pioneers' victory on Dec. 9 at No. 13 Western Michigan.
 
The Burnaby, British Columbia, native also owns 122 faceoff wins, ranking third on the squad. DU's first-line center has added 47 shots and eight power-play assists this year and ranks first in the country with a plus-19 rating.
 
An alternate captain on Denver's squad, Rizzo began the season by registering 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in six games in October, earning his first career NCHC Player of the Month and National Co-Player of the Month award. He had points in each of the first eight games (5g/12a) of the season, the longest season-opening point streak by a Pioneer since Jarid Lukosevicius' nine-game run to begin 2018-19 (eight goals, five assists).
 
Named the NCHC Forward of the Week on Oct. 31, Rizzo matched a career best with a four-game goal streak from Oct. 20-27 (five goals, two assists) and is currently riding a six-game assist streak dating to Nov. 24, tying a personal long.
 
He recorded his 100th career point with an assist on Nov. 11 at Arizona State, becoming the 102nd Pioneer to reach the mark. In 95 career games played, Rizzo has totaled 113 points (36 goals and 77 assists), presently ranking 69th all-time in program history and one point shy of tying for 66th place. Rizzo owns a 1.19 points-per-game average, which is the most among players in the modern era on DU's 100-point list and 33rd among all skaters in the school's century club.
 
Rizzo has played in international competition three times previously in his playing career, skating for Canada Black at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and for Canada West at the 2018 and 2019 World Junior-A Challenge.
 
Denver's Ian Mitchell was the last NCAA player to suit up for Canada at the Spengler Cup, as the St. Albert, Alberta, native wore the red and white maple leaf at the 2019 tournament.  DU alum Joey LaLeggia is also on Canada's roster.
 
This year's Spengler Cup begins on Boxing Day, Dec. 26, with Canada facing Frolunda HC (Sweden). The six teams will play a preliminary from Dec. 26-28 before the quarterfinals on Dec. 29, semifinals on Dec. 30 and championship game on Dec. 31. All games are played at Eisstadion Davos in Davos, Switzerland.
 
Canada has won the most championships at the Spengler Cup, as the Canadians won their 16th title in 2019 and have finished as runner-up 10 times. HC Ambri-Piotta (Switzerland) won last year's tournament while Canada fell to Orebro HK (Sweden) in the quarterfinals.
 
All Spengler Cup games will be broadcasted in Canada on the networks of TSN.
 

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