Marcus Foligno

Born on August 10, 1991, in Buffalo, New York, Marcus Foligno represents the second generation of his family to play for the Buffalo Sabres, following his father, Mike Foligno. His junior hockey career began with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2007 to 2011, mirroring his father’s path. In the 2008-09 season, Foligno scored 12 goals and recorded 30 points in 65 games, leading to his selection by the Buffalo Sabres as the 104th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft. He concluded his junior career with a strong 2010-11 season, ranking third on his team with 59 points from 23 goals in 47 games. During this time, he was recognized as the best body checker in the Eastern Conference in the OHL Coaches Poll and was named to the league’s Second All-Star Team. Foligno also made his international debut at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, where he contributed two goals and four points in seven games, helping Canada secure a silver medal.

Foligno signed an entry-level professional contract with the Buffalo Sabres on May 25, 2011. He commenced the 2011-12 season with the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League (AHL), where he led the team with five game-winning goals in 60 games and was awarded Rochester’s Rookie of the Year. He was recalled to the Sabres four times during the 2011-12 season, accumulating six goals and 13 points in 14 NHL games. His NHL debut occurred on December 20, 2011, against the Ottawa Senators, a team his older brother Nick was playing for. Foligno recorded his first NHL goal on March 10, 2012, against Ottawa, and maintained a five-game point streak from March 10-19, 2012. He was recognized as the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for March 2012, achieving six goals and 11 points in 11 games. In the 2012-13 season, he finished third on the Sabres with 108 hits. He scored an NHL career-high 13 goals in the 2016-17 season but was subsequently traded to the Minnesota Wild on June 30, 2017. He signed a four-year, $11.5 million contract extension with the Wild on September 14, 2017, followed by a three-year, $9.3 million extension on January 12, 2021, and a four-year, $16 million extension on September 29, 2023.