Marcus Foligno Named NHLPA Player of the Week

The NHL has a long history of brothers making their way in the league, following each other to hockey stardom. Recently, Marcus Foligno solidified his spot in the Buffalo Sabres lineup and has added his family name to the list of accomplished brother tandems to suit up in the show.

The younger brother of Ottawa Senators forward Nick, Marcus has quickly established himself as a key component of the Sabres' late-season push towards the Eastern Conference playoffs and has been responsible for providing a spark that is helping the Buffalo boys live up to their early-season expectations and show that if you get hot at the right time of year, you can be a dangerous opponent for everyone down the stretch.

After playing junior hockey in his hometown of Sudbury and establishing himself as a physical and offensively gifted player, Marcus began the season in Rochester with the Sabres AHL affiliate. After a couple of trips up to the big club, he began to firmly entrench himself in the Sabres lineup and build chemistry with teammates while finding his way onto the scoresheet on a more regular basis.

Marcus’ recent offensive surge has coincided with the Sabres' climb up the standings, putting themselves in a position to have a shot at the playoffs—a place where Marcus could potentially find himself facing off against his brother at some point.

• Marcus has been sharp for the Sabres lately, recording eight points in the past seven games, including five goals in that span.
• After starting the season in Rochester, Marcus’ tenacious and dedicated play saw him called up to Buffalo where he has been scoring at a point-per-game pace so far early in his NHL career, and it appears as if he will be sticking around for the remainder of the year.
• Marcus mimicked his dad recently, (former NHLPA member Mike Foligno), doing the famous ‘Foligno Leap’ after scoring a goal for the Sabres.

Biography

• Born in Buffalo, New York, USA on August 10, 1991.
• Drafted in the fourth round, 104th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
• Honed his skills in junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sudbury Wolves.  
• Represented Canada internationally at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships, capturing a silver medal.

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