• Finished tied for second with four goals at the 2008 IIHF Under-18 World Championship, helping Team Canada win gold.
  

• Won a silver medal at the 2007 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge with Team Canada East and won a gold medal with Team Ontario at the 2007 Canada Winter Games.
  

• Selected to the 2007-08 CJAHL Prospect Game and will attend Boston University in the fall of 2008.
  

• An assistant captain, led Stouffville in assists (50) and finished second in points (69).
  

• Named Ontario North Division Rookie of the Year in 2006-07 after posting 58 points (24-34--58) with Stouffville.
  

• His nickname is “Vino”, a short form of his last name and he wears number 10 because of Argentina’s all-time best soccer player, Diego Maradona -- his father immigrated from Argentina in 1978 and played professional soccer in Argentina.
  

• Got started in hockey after taking skating lessons at the age of four – “I hated them with a passion, I sprawled out on the ice crying to get off. I was then put into organized hockey and as soon as I scored my first goal, I never wanted to leave the ice”.
  

• His first hockey team was the West Mall Lightning and he played minor hockey for the Toronto Marlboros for eight years.
  

• Credits his coach Dave D’ammizio for having had the most influence on his career – “he is always able to push me to my limits and has taught me not only hockey lessons, but life lessons.
  

• Patterns his game after Tampa Bay’s Vincent Lecavalier – “he is a well-rounded player who competes every night”.
  

• Part of his pre-game superstitions includes tapping every door frame he passes with the knob of his stick for good luck.
  

• His most memorable hockey moment was winning the IIHF Under-18 World Championships with Team Canada – “being able to sing our national anthem after the final game in front of 10,000 Russian fans was an unbelievable feeling”.
  

• If he could invite any three people to dinner he would choose: Doug Gilmour – “my all-time favorite player”, Pat Quinn – “to talk about Under-18 and learn more about the game”, and Cabbie (from The Score) – “he would be a great conversation starter and seems to be familiar with talking to NHL superstars”.
  

• His most embarrassing hockey moment was scoring on his own net during the final game of the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge in Trail, B.C.
  

• The one thing he couldn’t live without is NHL 08 for Xbox and the most embarrassing song on his iPod is “Cry me a River” by Justin Timberlake.
  

• If he wasn’t playing hockey he would be playing soccer for a team in Europe.

FAVORITES

NHL Team: Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL Player: Doug Gilmour

Shootout Move: “Fake shot, fake back hand to forehand”

Goal Celebration: “One hand raise”

Practice Drill: 2-2 Flow Drill

Video Game: NHL08        

Movie: Wedding Crasher

Sitcom/TV Show: Lost or Prison Break

Actor/Actress: Denzel Washington

Artist/Group: Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Website: Google        

Book: Screech Owls – The whole series of novels

Pump-up Song: “Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit        

Food to Cook: Pasta

Sport (other than hockey): Soccer

Activity away from the Rink: Any competitive sport or activity

Toy Growing Up: Spiderman

Place to Shop: Sherway Mall

Place to Visit:  Maple Leaf Gardens (any sporting event)

STATISTICS