You don’t need to glance at the team statistics to know that it has been a disappointing start to the season for veteran Minnesota Wild winger Marcus Foligno. The team’s injury report will tell you as much now as well.
While still offering his patented combination of on-ice intensity and off-ice levity, Foligno had registered no goals or assists through the Wild’s first nine games, and he was scratched from Sunday’s 10th game, versus San Jose, due to an upper body injury.
“He’s out, upper body,” Wild coach John Hynes said, speaking to the media prior to the date with the Sharks, adding that the severity of the injury is unknown currently. “He had some imaging done today and I don’t know the results of it.”
Foligno, 34, missed five games all of last season, chipping in with 14 goals in 77 games, and adding three more in the six-game opening round playoff loss to Vegas. In Saturday evening’s home loss to the Utah Mammoth, Foligno logged 14 minutes but left the game in the third period and did not return.
Already this season he had shown some physical resilience, taking a massive open-ice hit in a win versus the Rangers at Madison Square Garden last week, but returning to finish the game seemingly no worse for wear. But even before the injury suffered versus Utah, Hynes acknowledged that Foligno was one of the veterans they were looking for to contribute more on the score sheet. The coach had a one-on-one meeting with Foligno following the team’s Friday practice at TRIA Rink.
“He’s such a valuable member to the team. I think what he brings to the team is crucial,” Hynes said then. “He’s kind of a heartbeat type of guy. And sometimes he’s just looking at some things, almost like we did last year at the beginning of the year, getting back to the things that make him such an important player for us and such a good player.”
Keying on Celebrini
The Sharks came to Minnesota with just one win to their credit this season, and the franchise has not been a playoff participant since 2019, but all of those on-ice struggles did pay a notable dividend in 2024 when they won the draft lottery and used the first overall pick to grab Macklin Celebrini. Originally from Vancouver, Celebrini played two seasons of prep hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, and logged one year at Boston University, where he won the Hobey Baker Award as a freshman.
Still just 19, Celebrini came to St. Paul averaging better than a point per game for San Jose, and had a familiarity with the Bay Area even before San Jose employed him. His father Rick, a former pro soccer player, worked for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors as their director of sports medicine. Hynes acknowledged that part of the game plan versus the Sharks was to be on alert whenever Celebrini was on the ice.
“He’s a driving player. Even though he’s young he’s got good speed, he’s strong, he’s tenacious on the puck, he can shoot it, but he also can pass,” Hynes said, admitting part of the game plan was to have a committed defensive pair on the ice to counter San Jose’s top line which had Celebrini centering Tyler Toffoli and Will Smith.
Celebrini had five goals and seven assists in the Sharks’ first eight games. He was one of three finalists for NHL Rookie of the Year last season. Sunday’s game was barely five minutes old when Celebrini got his 13th point of the season, assisting on San Jose’s first period power play goal.
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