| Nick Foligno | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Foligno with theColumbus Blue Jackets in 2014 | |||
| Born | (1987-10-31)October 31, 1987 (age 38) Buffalo, New York, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Chicago Blackhawks Ottawa Senators Columbus Blue Jackets Toronto Maple Leafs Boston Bruins | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | 28th overall,2006 Ottawa Senators | ||
| Playing career | 2007–present | ||
Nicholas Foligno (/fəˈliːnoʊ/; born October 31, 1987) is an American professionalice hockeyleft winger andcaptain for theChicago Blackhawks of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 28th overall by theOttawa Senators during the2006 NHL entry draft. Foligno was traded to theColumbus Blue Jackets six years later, and eventually was named the team's captain for six seasons.
His father,Mike Foligno, is a veteran of over 1,000 career NHL games, while his brother,Marcus Foligno, plays for theMinnesota Wild.
As a youth, Foligno played in the 2000 and 2001Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with aminor ice hockey team fromHershey, Pennsylvania.[1]
Foligno began the 2003–04 season with theUSA Hockey National Team Development Program's under-17 team, where he had seven goals and 16 points. He moved up to the under-18 team, which at the time played in theNorth American Hockey League (NAHL), where in 43 games, Foligno scored eight goals and 20 points. In seven playoff games, Foligno had two goals and three points.[citation needed]
Foligno appeared in four games with the under-18 team in 2004–05, getting two goals and an assist.[citation needed]
After his tenure with the Development Program, Foligno joined theSudbury Wolves of theOntario Hockey League (OHL), who were coached by his father,Mike Foligno. In his rookie season in2004–05, Foligno had ten 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 theOttawa 67's. Foligno registered his first OHL point, an assist, in a 6–1 win over theErie Otters on September 26, 2004. It took Foligno 23 games, but he scored his first career OHL goal on November 20, 2004, beatingKitchener Rangers goaltender Dan Turple in a 6–3 loss. In the playoffs, Foligno had five goals and ten points in 12 games, as Sudbury lost to the Ottawa 67's in the second round of the playoffs.[citation needed]
Foligno saw his offensive production increase during his second season with the Wolves in2005–06, as he led the club with 70 points, scoring 24 goals and 46 assists, while registering 146 penalty minutes, helping the Wolves to the post-season. In ten playoff games, Foligno had a goal and four points as Sudbury was swept by thePeterborough Petes in the second round.[citation needed]
Foligno returned to the Wolves for a third season in2006–07, as he scored a team high 31 goals and 88 points in 66 games, helping Sudbury clinch a playoff berth. In the post-season, he scored 12 goals and 29 points in 21 games to finish with the second highest point total in the League; Sudbury, however, lost to thePlymouth Whalers in six games in theJ. Ross Robertson Cup finals.[citation needed]
TheOttawa Senators selected Foligno with the 28th overall pick in the2006 NHL entry draft. On March 21, 2007, Senators General ManagerJohn Muckler announced that the team and Foligno agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract. He spent some time with theBinghamton Senators of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) during the2007–08 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 thePhiladelphia Phantoms. Foligno scored his first AHL goal on January 18, 2008, scoring onAdam Munro of theSyracuse Crunch in a 6–3 win.[citation needed]
Foligno spent most of the2007–08 with the Ottawa Senators. He began the season with Ottawa and played in his first game on October 3, 2007, earning no points in 7:36 ice time in a 4–3 victory over theToronto Maple Leafs.[citation needed] Foligno scored his first career NHL goal and point on October 18, 2007, as he beatCarey Price of theMontreal 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".[2] Foligno finished the season appearing in 45 games with Ottawa, scoring six goals and nine points. He appeared in his firstStanley Cup playoff game on April 9, 2008, in a 4–0 loss to thePittsburgh Penguins. On April 14, 2008, he scored his first career playoff goal, beating the Penguins'Marc-André Fleury in a 4–1 Senators loss. The Senators were ultimately swept in four-straight games in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals; Foligno's goal was his only registered point of the series.[citation needed]
Foligno spent the entire2008–09 season in the NHL with the Senators, scoring 17 goals and 32 points in 81 games. The Senators, however, struggled throughout the season and failed to make the2009 playoffs.[citation needed]
In the2009–10 season, Foligno missed 21 games due to injuries, including a broken leg suffered from blocking a shot in a game against theMontreal Canadiens on January 30, 2010. He scored nine goals and 26 points in 61 games he appeared in. The Senators qualified for the2010 playoffs, and in six games, Foligno had one assist as Ottawa again fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.[citation needed]
Foligno appeared in all 82 games in the2010–11 season for Ottawa, scoring 14 goals and 34 points. The team, however, failed to make theplayoffs for the second time in three seasons. Foligno put up his best offensive numbers during the subsequent2011–12 season, registering 15 goals and 47 points while again playing in all of Ottawa's 82 regular season games.[citation needed]
On July 1, 2012, Foligno was traded to theColumbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defensemanMarc Methot.[3] Having lost two of their starting six defensemen via free agency, Ottawa desperately needed to acquire a defenseman and Methot fit the bill for the Sens.[4] Foligno had earlier been offered to Columbus as part of a package for superstarRick Nash; however, Blue Jackets General ManagerScott 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.[5]
Foligno scored a notable goal in game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals in the2014 playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins – Blue Jackets forwardR. J. Umberger blocked a slapshot with his head, whereupon Foligno picked up the puck, skated down the ice and shot a knuckle-puck past goaltender Marc-André Fleury for the come-from-behind overtime winner.[6]
In 2015, Foligno was selected by the NHL general managers to represent Columbus, in addition to Blue Jackets teammatesRyan Johansen andSergei Bobrovsky, at the2015 NHL All-Star Game, held inColumbus, Ohio. Foligno was additionally named a captain for one of the teams during the game, Team Foligno. His team lost to Team Toews 17–12.[citation needed]
On April 4, 2015, Foligno scored his first career NHL hat-trick against the Pittsburgh Penguins.[7] On May 20, shortly after the end of the2014–15 season, Foligno was named captain of the Blue Jackets, filling a vacancy existent since previous team captain Rick Nash's departure to theNew York Rangers in the 2012 off-season. Foligno became the sixth captain in Blue Jackets' history.[8][9] The captaincy came after Foligno posted career-highs in goals (31) and points (73) from 79 regular season games played, ranking tenth in the League in the latter statistic, points.
On February 25, 2016, in a game against theNew Jersey Devils, Foligno recorded 4 points, including his second career hat trick, and leading the Blue Jackets to a 6–1 victory.[10][11]
On November 9, 2019, Foligno was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for elbowingColorado Avalanche forwardPierre-Édouard Bellemare. He was suspended three games for the incident.[12]
On February 7, 2021, in a regular season game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Foligno scored his 200th career goal.
On April 11, 2021, one day before the NHL trade deadline and in the final year of his contract with a Blue Jackets team expected to miss the postseason, Foligno was involved in a three-team trade to eventually end up with theToronto Maple Leafs. To make the trade work, he was initially dealt to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forwardStefan Noesen, with Columbus retaining 50% of his salary. Shortly after, Foligno was dealt to Toronto in exchange for a2021 fourth-round pick, where San Jose retained 50% of Foligno's remaining salary (or 25% of his overall cap hit).[13] Afterwards, Noesen was traded to the Maple Leafs, with Columbus receiving a first-round pick in 2021 and a2022 fourth-round pick, as the compensation for Foligno.[14]
Foligno's short tenure in Toronto was marred with injury. He missed several games between the trade and end of the regular season with injury, although picked up four assists in seven appearances. Again limited by injury, Foligno appeared in four of the team's seven playoff games, collecting one assist and having relatively little on-ice impact, although was involved in a notable fight withCorey Perry after Perry concussed captainJohn Tavares.[15][16]
Although there was mutual interest between Foligno and the Maple Leafs in signing a new contract, on July 28, 2021, Foligno signed as a free agent to a two-year, $7.6 million contract with theBoston Bruins.[17] On April 2, 2022, Nick played in his 1,000th NHL game, a Bruins 5-2 home victory over his former team Columbus. Foligno had a disappointing first season with the Bruins, and as a result, was placed on waivers by the Bruins on October 9, 2022, but was brought back to the team for the 2022-23 season after going unclaimed.
After a disappointing first season with the Bruins, Foligno saw somewhat of a resurgence in his second year with the team.[18] He was seen as a leader on a historic Bruins team that beat the single-season NHL record for both wins and total points. By the end of the season, he doubled his point totals from the previous season, and was nicknamed "Uncle Nick" byJakub Lauko, referring to the leadership role he had with the team.[19] However, Foligno and the Bruins' season ended in disappointment after being eliminated by theFlorida Panthers in seven games in the first round of the2023 playoffs, a series in which Foligno was scratched for the decisive game 7.[20]
On June 26, 2023, Foligno, a pending free agent from the Bruins, was traded to theChicago Blackhawks along withTaylor Hall in exchange forIan Mitchell andAlec Regula.[21] The following day, Foligno agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Blackhawks for the2023–24 season.[22]
Foligno once again took on a veteran presence on a young Blackhawks team. He formed a strong bond withConnor Bedard who was thefirst overall pick in the2023 draft.[23] On January 6, 2024, Foligno was placed oninjured reserve (IR) with a fractured left finger, which he suffered during a fight withNew Jersey Devils' defensemanBrendan Smith after Smith broke Bedard's jaw.[24] In the midst of a successful season with the Blackhawks, and the team needing his presence, Foligno signed a two-year, $9 million extension with the team on January 12, 2024.[25] On March 12, Foligno tied his career high for points in a game with four assists for four points in a 7–2 win against theAnaheim Ducks.[26] It was also his career high for assists in a game.
On September 18, 2024, Foligno was named the 36th captain in Blackhawks history.[27]
Foligno represented theUnited States in the2009 World Championship. In nine games, he had two assists as the United States finished in fourth place, losing 4–2 toSweden in thebronze medal game. Foligno then represented the United States in the2010 World Championship, and in six games, he scored three goals as the team struggled in the tournament, finishing in 13th place.
Born in theUnited States toCanadian parents, Foligno has dual Canadian–American citizenship. At the time of his birth, his father,Mike, played for theBuffalo Sabres and the family resided in theBuffalo area. Although his brotherMarcus has represented Canada internationally, Nick has chosen to represent the United States.
Foligno's younger brother, Marcus, who was drafted by the Sabres in the2009 NHL entry draft, is a member of theMinnesota Wild. The two brothers also have two sisters, Lisa and Cara. In the summer of 2009, Foligno lost his mother, Janis, tobreast cancer.[28] He is an avid supporter of cancer patient care and research at Roger's House, theChildren's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation, the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and the Ottawa Hospital Foundation.[29] Foligno is also the "Celebrity Chair" ofCystic Fibrosis Canada's Ottawa Chapter, where he and his wife Janelle are very active participants.[30]
Foligno and his wife, Janelle have three children. The family resides inHinsdale, Illinois. He also resides inSudbury,Ontario, during the off-season, where his parents were born and raised. He is a devout Catholic and speaks openly about his faith. On October 11, 2016, Foligno and his wife donated $1 million toNationwide Children's Hospital andBoston Children's Hospital, the same facilities that took care of their daughter's heart defects when she was a newborn.[31]
Foligno has traditionally worn jersey number 71, an inversion of the number 17 his father wore for most of his NHL career (although Mike did wear 71 while playing for theToronto Maple Leafs). However, as fellow Bruins left wingerTaylor Hall has already been wearing number 71 as a Bruins player, Foligno chose to wear his number 17 as his father did as an NHL player.[32][33]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 | Central Penn Panthers | MJHL | 31 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 119 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Hershey High School | HSPA | 13 | 18 | 23 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | U.S. NTDP U17 | USDP | 18 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | U.S. NTDP U18 | NAHL | 43 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 44 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 2004–05 | U.S. NTDP U18 | USDP | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 65 | 10 | 28 | 38 | 111 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 16 | ||
| 2005–06 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 65 | 24 | 46 | 70 | 146 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 28 | ||
| 2006–07 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 66 | 31 | 57 | 88 | 135 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 80 | ||
| 2007–08 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 28 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 45 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 81 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 61 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 53 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 82 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 82 | 15 | 32 | 47 | 124 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2012–13 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 45 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 70 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 96 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 79 | 31 | 42 | 73 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 72 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 79 | 26 | 25 | 51 | 55 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2017–18 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 72 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 50 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 73 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 44 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 67 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 62 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||
| 2020–21 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 42 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2021–22 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 64 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 61 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 60 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 75 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 18 | ||
| 2023–24 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 74 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 78 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1,233 | 247 | 350 | 597 | 980 | 68 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 67 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | United States | U17 | 4th | 5 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2009 | United States | WC | 4th | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2010 | United States | WC | 13th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016 | United States | WC | 4th | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | ||||
| Senior totals | 25 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 14 | ||||
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| NHL | |
| NHL All-Star Game | 2015 |
| King Clancy Memorial Trophy | 2017 |
| Mark Messier Leadership Award | 2017 |
Foligno has worn No. 71 for his entire 14-year NHL career, though he may have to go through some more negotiating if he wants to don it in Boston..."Actually, I got told that. I was like, 'Oh yeah, I forgot Taylor Hall took 71.' Son of a gun," Foligno said with a smile. "I'm going to have to text him and see if I can steal it back. But I'm not sure, I haven't really thought that far through. I'm just thrilled to be a Bruin.
Perhaps the most interesting number is Foligno wearing 17. He typically wears 71, but Bruins winger Taylor Hall already has that number. The previous two Bruins players to wear No. 17 were Ryan Donato and, of course, Milan Lucic.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ottawa Senators first round draft pick 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Columbus Blue Jackets captain 2015–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chicago Blackhawks captain 2024–present | Incumbent |