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Beaty · 06-06-2018, 11:44 AM

<div align="center">Russo Speaks with Media
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After landing in North America, Italian Carlo Russo has been adjusting to life. We recently got word that he was on the ice with his skating coach in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. We were able to track him down and get him to agree to a quick interview before he left.

So how has the adjustment been going? Youâ€™ve been here for a couple days, are you starting to catch on to anything?

â€œIâ€™m starting to notice a lot of differences between here and home, both in how they play the game and how things go off the ice. The game here is played at a much higher level than home. It is faster, more physical, the goalies are better. It will be a real nice challenge to play here. The people off the ice seem nice too. I havenâ€™t really been to any of the big cities, except being in the airport in Toronto, but here in PEI they seem to be quite nice. It also really helps knowing English beforehand too. I have had buddies come over who couldnâ€™t speak English so there is a bit more of a learning curve for them.â€

You put up record breaking numbers in the Serie A league in Italy, do you think youâ€™ll be able to translate this success to the SMJHL and eventually the SHL?

â€œWell like I said, the skill level back home is nowhere near what it is here. My family really wanted me to stay for another year home but I felt it would hurt my game if I stayed any longer to be honest. The way the game is played there allows a player like me to play lazy and still put up good numbers. I was never going to be able to round out my game to its max potential unless I made the move. I have always held defence as a point of pride in my game, but when you jump into a league with higher skilled players, it can take a little while for your defence to catch up, so I felt the sooner I got here the better.â€

Have you gotten a chance to talk to any SMJHL teams yet about signing on for the rest of the season before being entered back into the draft?

â€œNo, I havenâ€™t talked to any GMs or team reps yet. It would be nice to sign for the rest of the season to gain some experience, but either way I will be working with my coaches here in Charlottetown, so my game will be improving either way.â€

Recently, a fellow member of your draft class came out and said that he has no interest in playing for six of the eight teams in the league, and then went on to narrow that list down even more to say that there is one specific team he would prefer to play for. Is this something that you are going to do or something that you see catching on for more prospects in the future?

â€œWell itâ€™s not something I would personally do and it isnâ€™t necessarily something that I agree with either. I feel that if a team believes in you enough to use a draft pick to select you, you owe it to that team to play for them and play your heart out for the city. Who knows though what goes on behind the scenes though, he may have his reasons so Iâ€™m not here to judge. Just not something I would personally do.â€

With all that being said you know I have to ask, in your mind, are there any teams that stand out as one youâ€™d really like to play for?

â€œIâ€™ll play for any team that wants to draft me plain and simple, but I have talked to a player in the league and weâ€™ve talked about the possibility of me playing there and it would be pretty cool. Iâ€™m not going to say the team but yeah, it would be interesting.

What are some things that Russo can bring to a team that no other prospects can?

"I feel that I can bring a mature game to whatever team takes me. I have been playing in a mens league since I was 15 years old so I know what it takes to compete against older opponents. I also bring leadership. I was captain of my club team, as well as the Italian National Team for a tournament so I feel that that could help out a team.

Where do you see yourself in 5 seasons?

If five seasons I would like to be beginning my rookie season in the SHL after having a successful career in junior. I feel that having the full 4 seasons in the SMJHL would help a lot to improve my game, that way when I do make the jump to the SHL, I can be an effective player and not just there for the ride.

Excited for the upcoming draft?

Very! It's going to be an exciting month or so leading up to it. I'll be happy though once it's over and I'm able to just start playing.

Do you see yourself meshing in well with your new team?

This is a tough one. I feel like I'm easy to get along with and will be able to adjust to the temperature of different teams, but sometimes things just don't work out. For a simple answer though, yes, I feel like I'll be able to fit in and mesh with them.

Do you have any expectations for your first junior season?

For sure. I feel like setting expectations is a key to growing as a player. I feel I am more than capable of reaching 25-30 points if in the right situation. The biggest expectation I have on myself though is to be a better player tomorrow than I am today. If I am able to improve even the smallest thing each and every day, I think I can have a successful career.

Where's the best pizza place in Italy?

Kalimero's no question. Whatever type of pizza you want they can make.

What kind of music in the locker-room makes your skin crawl?

There is no specific type of music I hate, but if I'm in the locker room trying to get pumped up for a game, I don't want to be hearing any country.

Ensio Kalju on the point with the puck, getting ready to fire away the almost legendary slapshot, you got a chance to try and block it or just move out of the way - which one will you do?

Would definitely depend on the situation. If it's a preseason game, nah. I'll let him have that one, but if it's a game with some importance than I would be going in front of it.

Can you see yourself ever playing in Serie A again?

Hopefully not, I hope I can have a long and successful career in North America, but if something were to ever happen where I wasn't able to play over here than yeah, I would think about playing Serie A again.

Do you have any team that you hope will draft you?

I have one team in mind that I think would be pretty cool to end up being drafted to, but only a couple of people know about what team it is. I don't want to say who because I will play for anyone and I don't want to affect how a team looks at me.

If you decided to throw eggs at someone, what kind of eggs would you throw and how would you go about it?

Interesting. I would first surprise them by throwing hard boiled eggs. Once they realized they would laugh and think it was a joke. Then I would start hitting them with the uncooked eggs. Double surprise, double win.

Russo will now be taking questions!

This can be graded at any time now! Thanks for waiting.

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Dangles13 · 06-06-2018, 11:54 AM

What are some things that Russo can bring to a team that no other prospects can?
Where do you see yourself in 5 seasons?

StaticShocked · 06-06-2018, 12:14 PM

Excited for the upcoming draft?
Do you see yourself meshing in well with your new team?
Do you have any expectations for your first junior season?
Where's the best pizza place in Italy?

jRuutu · 06-06-2018, 04:41 PM

What kind of music in the locker-room makes your skin crawl?

Ensio Kalju on the point with the puck, getting ready to fire away the almost legendary slapshot, you got a chance to try and block it or just move out of the way - which one will you do?

Can you see yourself ever playing in Serie A again?

Blastmeaway · 06-06-2018, 06:54 PM

Do you have any team that you hope will draft you?
If you decided to throw eggs at someone, what kind of eggs would you throw and how would you go about it?

Shout out to ml002, schultzy, slashacm, tedward!
[Image: blastmeaway.gif]

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09-05-2018, 10:04 PMBeaver Wrote: Wow look what the PT affiliation has done to our pristine league.

12-19-2018, 12:31 AMBeaver Wrote: I personally blame the PT affiliation for handing out massive amounts of free TPE to all these players, inflating the TPE they're at when they get called up.

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