Marcus Foligno (; born August 10, 1991) is an American-born Canadian professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
winger and
alternate captain
In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...
for the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). Nicknamed “Moose” He was selected 104th overall by the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
in the
2009 NHL Entry Draft
The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was the 47th Entry Draft. It was held on June 26–27, 2009, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The Draft was part of the Montreal Canadiens' centennial celebrations. National Hockey League teams took turns select ...
.
Playing career
As a youth, Foligno played in the 2003
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament
The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...
with a
minor ice hockey
Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from cla ...
team from
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey.
The community is lo ...
.
Junior
Foligno was selected by the
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...
(OHL)'s
Sudbury Wolves
The Sudbury Wolves are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) ice hockey team based in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
Sudbury has had various hockey teams competing at the Junior ice hockey, junior and senior ice hockey levels of the game k ...
in the second round, 39th overall, in the 2007 OHL Priority Selection, the same team that drafted his older brother,
Nick
Nick may refer to:
* Nick (given name)
* A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat
* British slang for being arrested
* British slang for a police station
* British slang for stealing
* Short for nickname
Place ...
. After two seasons with the club, Foligno was selected in the fourth round, 104th overall, by the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
in the
2009 NHL Entry Draft
The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was the 47th Entry Draft. It was held on June 26–27, 2009, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The Draft was part of the Montreal Canadiens' centennial celebrations. National Hockey League teams took turns select ...
. Foligno spent an additional two seasons with the Wolves, with his best coming during the
2010–11 season, in which he recorded 23 goals and 59 points in 47 games.
Buffalo Sabres
![Marcus Foligno 2013-02-17](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Marcus_Foligno_2013-02-17.JPG)
Foligno agreed to terms on an entry-level professional contract with the Buffalo Sabres on May 25, 2011. He began play with the Sabres'
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
Rochester Americans
The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...
, in the
2011–12 season. Foligno was called up to the Sabres on December 19, 2011, and made his NHL debut on December 20, playing against the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
, the team his brother Nick Foligno was playing with at the time. Marcus Foligno's second career start came March 10, 2012, again against his brother and the Ottawa Senators. Foligno scored his first career goal at 14:06 in the third period, which tied the game; Buffalo eventually won the game in a shootout.
Like his brother Nick, Marcus Foligno used their father's "Foligno Leap" as his first career goal celebration. However, on Marcus' first goal, he was unsure he actually scored. As a result, Marcus used the "Leap" on his next goal in Buffalo on March 14, 2012.
Foligno broke the family tradition and did not choose the numbers 17 (worn by his father) or 71 (worn by his brother). Upon being drafted by the Sabres, he elected to wear number 82 (assigned to him at camp) instead of his father's number 17. Foligno was reassigned to the Americans immediately before the
2012–13 NHL lockout
The 2012–13 NHL lockout was a labor dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that began at 11:59 pm EDT on September 15, 2012. A tentative deal on a new collective barga ...
. However, this changed once he was traded to the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
, where he chose to wear the number 17.
On June 27, 2016, the Sabres issued a qualifying offer to Foligno.
He was signed to a one-year contract on July 14, 2016.
In the
2016–17 season, Foligno scored a career-best 13 goals in a checking-line role to match his 23 points from the previous season.
Minnesota Wild
As a restricted free agent, on June 30, 2017, Foligno was traded (along with
Tyler Ennis and a third-round pick in the
2018 NHL Entry Draft
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft was the 56th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 22–23, 2018, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft was the second of two professional sports drafts to be held in the Dalla ...
) to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for
Marco Scandella
Marco Scandella (born February 23, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played major junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for t ...
,
Jason Pominville
Jason John Pominville (born November 30, 1982) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey right winger. He played for the Buffalo Sabres and the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career Amateur
As a youth, Po ...
and a fourth-round pick in 2018. On September 14, the Wild signed Foligno to a four-year, $11.5 million contract extension worth $2.875 million annually. Foligno was hospitalized on October 12, 2017, after taking a punch to the face from
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
forward
John Hayden during a fight in Minnesota's 5–2 win. According to ''
The Athletic
''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports website that provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories from top professional and college sports ...
s Michael Russo, he may have suffered a "broken facial bone" as a result of the hit.
On January 12, 2021, Foligno signed a three-year, $9.5 million extension with the Wild.
International play
Approaching his final junior season in the OHL with the
Sudbury Wolves
The Sudbury Wolves are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) ice hockey team based in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
Sudbury has had various hockey teams competing at the Junior ice hockey, junior and senior ice hockey levels of the game k ...
, Foligno was Invited to take part in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
's 2011 national junior team selection camp for the
2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2011 IIHF World U20 Championship, commonly referred to as the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships (''2011 WJHC''), was the 35th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship and was hosted by the United States. The games were played ...
. Making a positive impression, he was later selected to Canada's roster for the tournament, held in his birthplace of Buffalo, New York. He completed the tournament with two goals and four points in seven games as Canada claimed the silver medal.
Personal life
Foligno was born in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, the son of former NHL player and Buffalo Sabre
Mike Foligno
Michael Anthony Foligno (; born January 29, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for fifteen seasons from 1979–80 until 1993–94. He is a scout for the Vegas Golden Knights.
...
and Janis Foligno. Janis died of breast cancer in July 2009.
Although Marcus was born in the United States, both of his parents are Canadian, making him a
dual citizen
Dual or Duals may refer to:
Paired/two things
* Dual (mathematics), a notion of paired concepts that mirror one another
** Dual (category theory), a formalization of mathematical duality
*** see more cases in :Duality theories
* Dual (grammatical ...
; Foligno played for Canada in the 2011 World Junior Championship. Marcus is the younger brother of former
Columbus Blue Jacket captain and current
Boston Bruin
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The ...
Nick Foligno
Nicholas Foligno (; born October 31, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 28th overall by the Ottawa Senators during the 2006 NH ...
. He also has two sisters, Lisa Foligno-Carey (married to
Dan Carey) and Cara Foligno.
Cara works in Buffalo, and Lisa works in
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...
. Foligno married Natascia Marcantognini on July 15, 2016 in
Sudbury, ON
Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the fifth largest in Canada. It is ...
.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foligno, Marcus
1991 births
Living people
American men's ice hockey left wingers
Buffalo Sabres draft picks
Buffalo Sabres players
Canadian ice hockey left wingers
Ice hockey players from Buffalo, New York
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Minnesota Wild players
Rochester Americans players
Sportspeople from Greater Sudbury
Sudbury Wolves players