Nick Foligno

Nick Foligno
Born	(1987-10-31) October 31, 1987 Buffalo, NY, USA
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Columbus Blue Jackets Ottawa Senators
National team	United States
NHL Draft	28th overall, 2006 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	2007–present

Nicholas Foligno [pronounced Fo-lee-no] (born October 31, 1987) is a professional ice hockey player who is currently a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Foligno previously played for the Ottawa Senators, the team who drafted him in the first round (28th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. His father, Mike Foligno, also played in the NHL, as does his brother, current Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno.

Playing career

U.S. National Team Development Program

Foligno began the 2003–04 season with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program under-17 team, where he had seven goals and 16 points. He moved up to the under-18 team, who played in the NAHL, where in 43 games, Foligno scored eight goals and 20 points. In seven playoff games, Foligno had two goals and three points.

He appeared in four games with the under-18 team in 2004-05, getting two goals and an assist.

Sudbury Wolves

Foligno joined the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL, who were coached by his father, Mike Foligno. In his rookie season in 2004-05, Foligno had 10 goals and 38 points in 65 games. He played his first game with the Wolves on September 24, 2004, earning no points in a 3-1 win over the Ottawa 67's. Foligno registered his first OHL point, an assist, in a 6-1 win over the Erie Otters on September 26, 2004. It took Foligno 23 games, but he scored his first OHL goal on November 20, 2004, beating Kitchener Rangers goaltender Dan Turple in a 6-3 loss. In the playoffs, Foligno had five goals and 10 points in 12 games, as Sudbury lost to the Ottawa 67's in the second round of the playoffs.

Foligno saw his offensive production increase during his second season with the Wolves in 2005–06, as he led the club with 70 points, scoring 24 goals and 46 assists, while registering 146 penalty minutes, as he helped the Wolves to the post-season. In ten playoff games, Foligno had a goal and four points, as Sudbury was swept by the Peterborough Petes in the second round.

He returned to the Wolves for a third season in 2006–07, as Foligno scored a team high 31 goals and 88 points in 66 games, helping Sudbury clinch a playoff berth. In the post-season, Foligno scored 12 goals and 29 points in 21 games to finish with the second highest point total in the league, as Sudbury lost to the Plymouth Whalers in six games in the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals.

Ottawa Senators

Foligno while with the Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators selected Foligno with the 28th overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft held in Vancouver, British Columbia. On March 21, 2007, Senators general manager John Muckler announced that the team and Foligno agreed to a three-year entry level contract. He spent some time with the Binghamton Senators of the AHL during the 2007–08 season, appearing in 28 games, scoring six goals and 19 points. He earned his first AHL point in his first game on November 16, 2007, an assist in a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phantoms. Foligno scored his first AHL goal on January 18, 2008, scoring on Adam Munro of the Syracuse Crunch in a 6-3 win.

Foligno spent most of the 2007-08 with the Ottawa Senators. He began the season with Ottawa, and played in his first game on October 3, 2007, getting no points in 7:36 ice time in a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.^[1] Foligno scored his first NHL goal and point on October 18, 2007, as he beat Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens in a 4-3 Senators win. When he scored the goal, he performed his father Mike Foligno's noted goal celebration, the "Foligno Leap". Foligno finished the season appearing in 45 games with Ottawa, scoring six goals and nine points. Foligno appeared in his first NHL playoff game on April 9, 2008, getting no points in a 4-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. On April 14, 2008, Foligno scored his first playoff goal, scoring on Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-1 Senators loss. The Senators were swept in four straight games in the first round, as Foligno's goal was his only point of the series.

Foligno spent the entire 2008–09 in the NHL with the Senators, as he scored 17 goals and 32 points in 81 games, however, the Senators struggled and failed to make the playoffs.

In the 2009–10 season, Foligno missed 21 games due to injuries during the season, including a broken leg while blocking a shot in a game against the Montreal Canadiens on January 30, 2010. He scored nine goals and 26 points in 61 games he appeared in. The Senators qualified for the playoffs, and in six games, Foligno had an assist, as Ottawa was eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.

Foligno appeared in all 82 games in the 2010–11 season for Ottawa, scoring 14 goals and 34 points, however, the team failed to make the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Foligno put up his best offensive numbers during the 2011-12 season, registering 15 goals and 47 points while again playing in all of Ottawa's 82 regular season games.

Columbus Blue Jackets

On July 1, 2012 Foligno was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenceman Marc Methot. Having lost two of their starting six defencemen via free-agency, Ottawa desperately needed to acquire a defenceman.^[2] Foligno had earlier been offered to Columbus as part of a package for disgruntled superstar Rick Nash, but Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson informed the Senators that Nash was unwilling to accept a trade to Ottawa. Five days after acquiring him, Columbus signed Foligno to a three-year contract worth a reported $9.15 million. Foligno had been a restricted free agent.^[3]

International play

Foligno represented the United States in the 2009 IIHF World Championship held in Switzerland. In nine games, Foligno had two assists, as the USA finished in fourth place, losing 4-2 to Sweden in the bronze medal game. Foligno represented the USA again in the 2010 IIHF World Championship held in Germany, as in six games, he recorded three goals. The United States struggled in the tournament, and finished in 13th place.

Personal

Born in the United States to Canadian parents, Foligno has dual Canadian/American citizenship. At the time of his birth, his father, Mike, played for the Buffalo Sabres and the family resided in the Buffalo area.

His younger brother, Marcus, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa's northeast division rival, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He also has two sisters, Lisa and Cara. In the summer of 2009, Foligno lost his mother, Janis, to breast cancer. He is an avid supporter of cancer patient care and research at Roger’s House, the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation, the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and the Ottawa Hospital Foundation.^[4] Foligno is also the "Celebrity Chair" of Cystic Fibrosis Canada's Ottawa Chapter, where he and his wife Janelle are very active participants.^[5]

Nick wears uniform number 71, an inversion of the number 17 his father wore for most of his NHL career (Mike did wear 71 for the Toronto Maple Leafs).

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

• Nick Foligno's player profile at NHL.com
• Foligno player profile at Hockeysfuture.com
• Nick Foligno's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database