- 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)