Stingers’ Massimo Carozza Joins the Bolzano-Bolzen Foxes of Austrian Hockey League

Men’s Hockey Rookie All-Star Will Not Return for the 2018-2019 Season

SportsDawn Kagan-Fleming — Published May 28, 2018

The former Cape Breton Screaming Eagle forward joined the Stingers out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season, posting a point per game campaign of 15 goals and 20 assists in 28 games.

On his rookie season, Carozza was the team’s second leading scorer, out producing all Stingers aside from U Sports MVP Anthony Beauregard who also left the team for a profession deal after the season.

After a successful campaign, it wasn’t an easy choice for Carozza to leave.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay in university or head to Europe but after talking to my family and agent, I decided to join Bolzano,” said Carozza who spent a month grappling with the decision to go pro.

Though the decision wasn’t easy, it wasn’t the first time Carozza had dealt with the option of going pro. Before joining the Stingers, he had offers from several ECHL teams but decided to head to U Sports instead.

Those offers may have looked attractive, but playing in Europe had an allure that had been on Carozza’s mind for some time.

“It’s something I always had in the back of my mind, to one day play pro in Europe,” explained Carozza, whose Italian citizenship should make the transition easier.

The chance to turn pro shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Montreal native was a key piece in the Stingers’ first trip to the U Sports national championship in over 30 years. His production and sound defensive play landed him on the Ontario University Athletics East All-Rookie team.

It was a season that certainly left an impression on Carozza. He held nothing back when it came to his praise for the Stingers.

“My time at Concordia was amazing. I have nothing but good things to say about the program, the coaching staff and the players,” said Carozza, noting that he sees the program going in the right direction.

Carozza now joins the defending champions of the EBEL in Italy, where he hopes to earn himself a spot on the country’s national team when he is eligible in a year and a half.