The Ontario Hockey League announced the suspension of Sudbury Wolves forward and Canadiens prospect Michael Pezzetta for four games. The suspension will keep him out of action until October 9.
The sixth-round pick of the Canadiensin the 2016 NHL Entry Draft was assessed a major penalty for a check to the head and a game misconduct at the 10:13 mark of the first period in a matchup against the Mississauga Steelheads on September 25.
Jeremey Goodwin, the victim of the hit, returned to the game following the incident.
Here’s the hit that got #Habs Pezzetta tossed from the game (and most likely a suspension): pic.twitter.com/p0BtgUgOEP
— Mitch Brown (@MitchLBrown) September 25, 2016
Considering how harsh the OHL is when it comes to dirty hits, I was expecting a much longer suspension.
Pezzetta doesn’t have a reputation around the OHL as a dirty or cheap player. He’s an intense competitor who loves to throw his weight around, and usually does a fairly good job keeping his hits clean.
However, with two dirty hits (he was assessed a penalty for blindsiding on September 23rd) in the season’s first two games, and a lengthy suspension, he is on the path to earning a reputation.
Pezzetta is expected to be an offensive leader on a young Sudbury team that looks to be competitive. With the first-overall pick in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection, David Levin, 2016’s second-overall pick Owen Lalonde, and NHL draft picks Dmitry Sokolov and Kyle Capobianco, they have a roster that could make noise in the weakened Eastern Conference.
