OSHAWA, Ont. — Luca Marrelli noticed the Sudbury Wolves following the puck to Andrew Gibson on the proper level, turning their backs to him and collapsing in on the web. Sensing an opportunity to sneak down from the left level and anticipate a possibility on the again submit, he jumped, arriving on the web simply in time to take the puck off goaltender Nathan Krawchuk’s pad and curl it round his skate and in.
Above him within the crowd, the mothers of his Oshawa Generals teammates, gathered for the staff’s annual mother’s night time, celebrated with him. The aim was his 18th of the season, fourth amongst all OHL defensemen. Early within the second, he added an help, snapping a shot-pass off Luke Torrance’s blade and in for his 71st level in 64 video games, additionally fourth finest amongst OHL D.
Holy YUCK 🤮#OSHvsSBY | #CBJ | @BlueJacketsNHL pic.twitter.com/rPAEmw8Odj
— Oshawa Generals (@Oshawa_Generals) March 16, 2025
After the sport, whereas the mothers waited to be let into the dressing room space, Marrelli was on his strategy to meet with Blue Jackets defenseman improvement coach Tommy Cross, visiting from Columbus to look at the staff’s breakout third-round decide.
Earlier than saying hi there to Cross, he stopped within the corridor outdoors the dressing room to speak about his mother, Melanie, who he misplaced in March 2022 after a battle with most cancers.
“She was essentially the most supportive individual in my life and the individual I leaned on essentially the most, but it surely’s a curveball that life throws at you and also you simply have to essentially take the entire positives away from it,” he stated. “She was a giant believer in positivity and optimistic considering so she wouldn’t need me to be unhappy. And hockey’s actually an escape and one thing that makes me glad. Tonight’s mother’s night time and I scored so it’s just a little bit extra of a particular aim for me, actually emotional, and she or he’s simply one more reason to do what I do.”
Melanie was a instructor and that lesson in positivity has caught with the eldest of her two sons.
The Gens’ interim head coach Brad Malone, who was employed in September as a improvement coach in Oshawa after which promoted in December, lauds Marrelli’s management and the best way he’s along with his friends.
“He’s an amazing child to be round each day and we’re fortunate to have him,” Malone stated. “He’s vocal. He’s very social. He’s not afraid to speak to anyone and that sort of bleeds proper in. And off the ice he’s an old-school chief — he’s able to holding folks accountable and asking them and demanding of them to do issues that we have to do to win, and that’s not simple for a 19-year-old.”
Marrelli ranks fourth amongst OHL defensemen in targets and factors this season. (Kalvin Taylor / Goodall Media)
Roger Hunt, the Generals’ normal supervisor throughout Marrelli’s 4 seasons in Oshawa, talks about him as “very likable.”
“Even earlier than (Melanie’s demise) occurred he was a really mature child, he was very participating and he was very concerned,” Hunt stated. “He retains tabs on folks. You’ll be able to plonk him into any setting, whether or not it’s college, youngsters or adults as a result of he’s so outgoing, comfy and mature.”
In Marrelli’s 16-year-old season, Hunt received a name from Melanie earlier than he’d ever even met her as a result of she wished to clarify her state of affairs as Luca moved away from house and began at a brand new college. As her most cancers remedy progressed, Hunt stated, “Luca was really the robust one.”
“He would replace me and I’d nearly be feeling upset and he was extremely robust going by way of all that,” Hunt stated. “After which I received a telephone name one night time and he was upset and he stated, ‘Look, my mum’s taken a flip and we’re all going to go to the hospital to see her’ and at that time with how robust he’d been all through the entire course of, for him to be upset I knew that it was unhealthy.”
Ever since, Luca has made the rink his glad place.
“Having a brother die in my very own life, I do know getting again to some kind of normality will provide help to deal with that, and I feel for Luca that was part of it and he received again to doing what he did and it was perhaps a little bit of a small distraction for small parts of his day,” Hunt stated. “And he has handled it like I absolutely anticipated him to cope with it. I’m pleased with him.”
Marrelli says who he’s has so much to do with the individuals who’ve influenced him. He lists his mother, his dad Antonio (or Tony), his outdated coach Anthony Hollyoak (who additionally died of most cancers in March 2022) and his uncle Colin as essentially the most influential folks.
That uncle — Melanie was his solely sister — is Colin Chaulk, the pinnacle coach of the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
Over the last 10 years of Chaulk’s taking part in profession and as he began climbing the ranks as a head coach, he ran a hockey college. Marrelli by no means missed one, driving along with his Don Mills Flyers teammates to Sarnia, Ont., Fort Wayne, Ind., and Kalamazoo, Mich. Rising up, Marrelli spent three weeks each summer time dwelling with Chaulk in Fort Wayne in order that he might skate with him. He spent some Christmases in Fort Wayne choosing his mind at household dinners, too.
Lately, they’ve skated collectively every summer time in Toronto. Although he hasn’t been capable of get out to Bakersfield after Oshawa went on a playoff run final yr, his dad Tony and his youthful brother Michael (who was drafted by Oshawa and Luca hopes will comply with in his footsteps) have.
“Something that I used to be ever doing — abilities classes, pickup skates, hockey camps — he was all the time there,” Chaulk stated. “My two women and (Melanie’s) two boys, we had been all the time collectively any probability we had. We’re extraordinarily shut.”
Marrelli even wore No. 91 due to Chaulk, switching to No. 19 in Oshawa as a result of John Tavares’ No. 91 is retired. After taking part in for years as “a extremely good goaltender,” it was Chaulk who informed Marrelli “my nephew’s not going to be a goalie” and inspired him to make the change to protection.
“He’s in all probability essentially the most instrumental and influential individual in my hockey profession up till now,” Marrelli stated of Chaulk.
Chaulk continues to look at all of Marrelli’s scoring probabilities for and in opposition to on Sportlogiq. Final yr, when Chaulk felt Marrelli wasn’t taking pictures the puck sufficient in his draft yr, he drew consideration to it and requested him to ship a textual content after each recreation with what number of photographs he had. He challenged him to get to 100 photographs on the season. Marrelli completed with 129. This season, he has already damaged 200.
“He’s actually witty. He begins to go ‘Not sufficient,’” Chaulk stated, laughing as he recalled their postgame texts. “After which that little bugger, he’s like ‘5 photographs, seven photographs’ and we had just a little competitors and naturally, he blows it out of the water as a result of he’s a wise child and he’s analytical and subsequent factor you understand, I misplaced that wager terribly. However on the finish of the day it labored out and he began creating extra. Partly I’m coach, partly I’m a mentor however I need my nephew to like me, not hate me, and it’s not value it to me. So I give him suggestions and I assist him however I’d quite hug him and assist him alongside the best way than be a hard-nosed coach.”
There’s one recreation that each one hockey colleges do the place each participant will get a puck from the blue line down they usually have to guard it from the group, ensuring to maintain their puck and knock their opponents’ out of the zone.
Most younger youngsters dive into the motion and shortly get their puck knocked out. At 10, after making the change from goalie to protection, Marrelli would all the time carry his puck straight into the nook to cover.
“He had a variety of persistence and poise and foresight of ‘Hey, I’m not going to go proper in that battle straight away. I’m going to be sensible, I’m going to remain off to the aspect just a little bit right here after which when 10 guys get eradicated I’m going to have a greater probability to win,’” Chaulk stated. “In a variety of sports activities, like in soccer, you’ll see youngsters operating to the ball, kicking it, operating after it, and repeating. They don’t wish to carry it. In order that’s a giant factor that you simply’re attempting to instill in them and he received that straight away. Skating with the puck. Shoulder checks. Understanding who will get it subsequent. And also you see him at this time and one in all his largest belongings is that he’s received ice in his veins and on a forecheck he doesn’t panic. And that’s 10 years of him simply doing it.”
Those that know Marrelli’s recreation finest all the time begin along with his hockey sense.
“Very mental mind, strikes the puck rather well, and we’re simply attempting so as to add tempo to his recreation as a result of that’s what the NHL groups are frightened about. He could be just a little little bit of a sleeper,” former Generals head coach Steve O’Rourke stated prematurely of the draft final yr.
Hunt stated Marrelli was a wise participant even when he first received to Oshawa at 15. He turned 16 in October 2021, shortly after making the Generals as a fifth-round OHL Draft decide. That yr, he performed 62 video games — very uncommon for a defenseman that younger who was drafted that late.
However it was the smarts that allowed him to make the staff, in keeping with Hunt.
“He has by no means been blessed with a skating stride that appears quick, however very hardly ever do you see him get beat. His skating’s not a difficulty however he’s such a heady participant and I feel that’s what makes him so good,” Hunt stated. “He’s only a sensible D. It’s exhausting to check to Evan Bouchard however one thing like that. Evan’s a man that received a ton of factors, he’s a proper shot, a giant shot, a wise participant, not gifted with a handsome skating fashion however they get there.”
Marrelli signed his entry-level contract with Columbus and is eligible to play within the AHL subsequent season. (Ian Goodall / Goodall Media)
He was so good to start out this yr after a giant summer time that Hunt believes his play ought to have been worthy of an invitation to Canada’s World Junior Choice Camp.
Chaulk stated Marrelli was “all the time athletic, all the time a giant, thick and robust child.” He grew up taking part in high-level aggressive baseball for the East York Bulldogs till his OHL Draft yr, and in addition loves taking part in golf, tennis and volleyball. (He’s not all about sports activities, although, as he’ll let you know he’s additionally into chess and cooking). However now he’s a 6-foot-2, 185-pound, above-a-point-per-game, right-shot defenseman who has already been signed by his NHL membership to an entry-level contract as a third-round decide.
“I wasn’t actually a brilliant extremely touted man coming into this league but it surely simply exhibits that tough work and dedication,” he stated.
All through this yr, he has had visits or weekly check-ins from people like Cross and director of hockey operations Rick Nash. The Blue Jackets have additionally finished some video work with him and their power and conditioning staff have him on a program. “(Cross and Nash) have been actually good for me,” Marrelli stated.
On the ice, Marrelli describes himself as poised, sensible, devoted, assured and aggressive.
Malone, who performed greater than 200 video games within the NHL and performed within the AHL final season earlier than leaping proper out of his taking part in profession and into teaching, stated Marrelli doesn’t get sufficient credit score for that final one — for his competitiveness and “how good of a defender he’s.”
“What he does offensively sort of speaks for itself however he’s closely relied upon in all conditions and you may belief him just about wherever,” Malone stated.
Coincidentally, Malone additionally performed in Bakersfield below Chaulk the final three years, and so a variety of what he’s now educating the Generals comes from Chaulk and is acquainted to Marrelli — proper right down to his one-liners about “$8 million performs.” Malone jokes that Marrelli has a few of Chaulk’s mannerisms, and Marrelli provides him a tough time for stealing Chaulk’s concepts.
“He sort of razzes me just a little bit in regards to the (teaching) similarities however Colin did an amazing job with him when it comes to teaching him, the talent improvement, and his hockey sense is high-end due to it,” Malone stated, laughing.
Although his and Malone’s sights are presently set on one other deep playoff run with the Generals, due to his October birthday, Marrelli’s eligible to play within the AHL subsequent yr with the Cleveland Monsters (although the Monsters and Condors don’t play one another).
Hunt, Malone and Chaulk suppose Marrelli is prepared for that subsequent step, too.
“He’s critical, he’s a wise child, and gosh as just a little child, he all the time wished to know what the plan is. Like I don’t know what number of instances as a child he requested his mum ‘What’s the plan? What’s the plan? What are we consuming? What are we doing?’ And also you take a look at him now and he’s going to show professional and be on his personal subsequent yr, and he’s organized, he’s an A scholar at school, it’s all there,” Chaulk stated. “He’s a extremely good child. He’s an excellent, accountable child.”
Hunt’s not the one one who’s pleased with him, both. Requested about his nephew and the way far he has come, Chaulk’s voice cracks and breaks.
“Jeez. Emotional right here for a second,” Chaulk stated, pausing, his voice decreasing to a whisper. “You wouldn’t know (what he has been by way of). You wouldn’t know. As a result of he was quiet about it. Any second I’ve I convey (Melanie) up as a result of I understand how proud she was of him. Her boys had been her life. It was ‘the boys, the boys, the boys, the boys.’ And he didn’t discuss a lot about it. He performs it like he performs a forecheck, man. He performs it cool. He has been so mature. He has been so mature. … He’s dealt with like a frickin’ champ.”
(Prime picture: Ian Goodall / Goodall Media)
