Who is Better? Nick Suzuki vs. Dominic Cozzolino

In this article, we continue our series dedicated to comparing players from different areas of the sport in the spirit of determining: which one is better? Today, we take a closer look at which of the two Canadian countrymen has the edge: Nick Suzuki or Dominic Cozzolino.

The Rules of the Game

Staying true to our passion for ice hockey, we will assess the players using the traditional “5 S’s” of hockey scouting: skill, skating, size, sense, and spirit. Not only will this allow us to cover the full spectrum of each player’s makeup, but it will also offer an uneven number of criteria, thereby ensuring a winner (or so we hope, as this sport is full of surprises!). 

The Tale of the Tape 

Nick Suzuki

Birth: August 10, 1999

Position: Centre

National Hockey League (NHL) Team: Montreal Canadiens

Country: Canada

Dominic Cozzolino

Birth: August 23, 1994

Position: Centre

Para hockey team: Team Canada

Country: Canada

Preamble

In the big picture, we are not only comparing fellow countrymen but two players with nearly identical bottom lines. Cozzolino and Suzuki both play the centre position; both are skillful puck distributors, both can find the back of the net with ease, and yet somehow, they both seem to fly a little under the radar.

But that ends today, as we dive deep into each athlete’s extensive highlight reel.

Skill

Not a lot of shortcomings here for either player.

To be blunt, Dominic Cozzolino may be his branch's best setup man. His chemistry with goal-scoring teammate Tyler McGregor is reminiscent of the Hull & Oates connection, with McGregor continuously seeking open space in the slot while Cozzolino skillfully finds ways to feed him the puck.

However, the notable difference in this case is that Dominic himself is an accomplished goal scorer. Not only did his seven goals tie McGregor for the team lead at the 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships in Buffalo, but Cozzolino’s 15 points also led his squad — a repeat tour de force from the 2023 tournament. Furthermore, the Canadian athlete’s stickhandling wizardry allows him to make plays even when time and space are difficult to find. Indeed, he doesn’t need to find a hole to make a play; he just needs to get a stick free and allow his hands to do the rest. Truly remarkable.

Meanwhile, Nick Suzuki has proven himself to be quite an artist with the puck on his blade during his seven seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. While more of a playmaker than a goal scorer, he is nonetheless a constant threat to light the lamp while optimising the skills of his sharp-shooting linemate, Cole Caufield. If the opponent plays the shot, Suzuki draws the defender and slides the puck over to Caufield for a scoring chance. If the opponent plays the pass, Suzuki is quite happy to challenge the goaltender by himself. With his superb stickhandling, fans have witnessed him finding the back of the net just as often through nifty dekes of the gatekeeper as with his shot. The slick centreman is currently on pace to top 90 points this season with Montreal, and he has improved his points-per-game average in all seven seasons of his NHL career.

For both players, puck skills are at the heart of their games, and the offensive production is there to prove it.

Edge: Taking the puck away from Suzuki is almost an impossible mission, but he operates from space, while Cozzolino just needs a free blade. Cozzolino takes this category.

Scoreboard: 1–0 Cozzolino

Sense

When playing with a goal scorer like McGregor, one might be tempted to think you simply have to “pass it to the finisher” and let him put it on the scoreboard. But in truth, to be such a skillful playmaker, Cozzolino is required to see the ice fully and make quick, quality decisions, often with an opponent on his back. The maple-leafed athlete has also shown the ability to adjust to what opponents give him, and while McGregor gets more of the headlines, Cozzolino has proven that he helps elevate his linemates just as much as they elevate him — if not more.

Similarly, Nick Suzuki has demonstrated that he doesn’t just possess great hockey sense; he may be one of the greatest chess players on the ice today. Working with a little less size and speed than most of his counterparts, he is forced to use his smarts to consistently get into position, find holes, or — more impressively — create passing and shooting lanes even when all five opponents are set in their defensive-zone coverage.

Edge: Suzuki, who has truly shown the world what it would look like if Magnus Carlsen took up hockey.

Scoreboard: 1–1

Skating

Suzuki is an interesting case here. Straightaway speed may be one of the few weaknesses in his game, as he certainly isn’t the fastest player out there. However, he does have an incredible ability to maintain that speed when switching directions, which limits the drawbacks of his limited first-step quickness. While he may not be a speedy skater, he most certainly is a shifty one, which — combined with his soft hands and superior vision — allows him to convert otherwise potential turnovers into assists.

Cozzolino’s scouting report reads differently. In part because of the nature of the para hockey game, but also because he naturally favors straightaway speed, the Canadian star forward must be considered more speedy than shifty. His acceleration surpasses that of his counterpart, possessing the ability to reach his top speed in less time. This component bleeds into other parts of his game, as defensively, Suzuki is restricted to spending more time playing between the dots, while Cozzolino enjoys greater freedom of movement all around the rink.

Edge: Cozzolino’s acceleration and straightaway speed overtake Suzuki’s edge control.

Scoreboard: 2–1 Cozzolino

Spirit

Unsurprisingly, both players anchor their teams’ first lines, and both exude a calm presence during games. Cozzolino gives Team Canada a menacing offensive presence and confident swagger in the offensive zone, and he does so by leading by example. In fact, look no further than the 2024 World Championships in Calgary, when the playmaking centre took the bull by the horns and earned the tournament’s “Best Forward” award during a gold-medal-winning performance by the home team — pulled off against the heavily favored Americans, no less.

Nick Suzuki, meanwhile, is more of a dual threat, insisting on playing both ends of the ice and leaving much of the offensive glory to his "bleu, blanc, rouge" linemates. This behavior exemplifies exactly what any team would hope to see from its captain. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Suzuki is currently captaining the Canadiens out of the standings basement and into contention, all despite having been named the youngest captain in franchise history while playing inside the Montreal media pressure cooker.

Edge: Suzuki, whose maturity belies his age.

Scoreboard: 2–2

Size

Sometimes, it’s not so much about what you have, but what you make of it. Suzuki works with a smaller frame and is therefore constantly on the lookout for openings to attack and create offense. More specifically, when set up in the offensive zone, he spends a lot of time working from the perimeter and uses his wits, deception, and puck skills to slice through the defense with passes to the slot, letting the little black disk do the hard work for him. It would be difficult to identify a player who is more aware of his strengths and weaknesses and better adjusts his game accordingly.

Cozzolino, on the other hand, boasts terrific upper body strength and is much more likely to be found battling through heavy stick work. As a matter of fact, he has little choice in his role but to personify this core Team Canada value. This was best exemplified at the 2025 World Championships during his team's final round-robin game against Team China, with the winner clinching first place in the division. The Canadians emerged victorious by a 4–2 score, with Cozzolino’s fingerprints all over the result. Indeed, the Chinese team had come to compete, repeatedly forcing intense physical battles along the boards for all three periods. And in that 45-minute contest, which featured 26 combined penalty minutes, Cozzolino not only opened the scoring but also broke a 1–1 tie with an early third-period goal that permanently swung the game Canada’s way.

Edge: Cozzolino, who consistently must play through tougher stick work.

Scoreboard: 3–2 Cozzolino

Last Minute of Play

Coming down to the wire in a photo finish, Dominic Cozzolino wins his face-off against Nick Suzuki. And considering the prowess both athletes have demonstrated in the face-off circle, it is safe to say that any hopes of a golden trip to Milan for their country will include the two of them winning quite a few of those very puck drops.