Garth Snow revealed to fans last week a deal in the works with Slovakian prospect Tomas Marcinko, and the Islanders have just released news of the deal's finalization.
Marcinko, a fourth round draft pick in 2006, who spent the past two seasons in the OHL with the Barrie Colts and played for Team Slovakia in the 2007 and 2008 World Junior Championships, agreed to an entry-level three-year contract.
Here are some thoughts on Marcinko:
From GM Garth Snow:
"He's a big, strong, two-way center. He's a leader. We've had him in training camp and he's a good skater and he just need to be developed properly. So we'll get him into our system and do that."
Pro Scout Toby O'Brien:
"Tomas really has come into his own. He took leadership, and he took a team (Barrie) and put them on his shoulders a little bit. He was a consummate professional, and took them to the second round of the playoffs, which is no easy task, and he was rewarded.
"He's a good player that possesses good character and a will to succeed, and isn't that what you're supposed to be surrounded by?"
Ryan Jankowski, Islanders Asst. GM and director of amateur scouting (via Islanders press release):
"Tomas is a very responsible two- way player who had a terrific season with Barrie in the OHL."
“He created a lot of the offense for Barrie as the number one centerman, but also was a defensive type player who took care of his own zone and thought defense first,” added Jankowski. “He was a leader and captain of Barrie after the trade deadline and led his team to an upset victory in the first round of the playoffs this season.”
Here are some numbers for Marcinko:
Ht/Wt: 6-4, 187
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Age: 20
Barrie Colts 2006-2007:
56 games played, 19 goals, 21 assists
Barrie Colts 2007-2008:
48 games played, 19 goals, 26 assists
--Katie Strang
Comments (22)
Another Leftover!
Great PLAYOFF game tonight.Washington/Philly.There is NOTHING like PLAYOFF HOCKEY!
Was just reading on another blog about how Sillinger is expecting to be ready and healthy to play next year ...
Not that I would ever wish anyone, other than those wearing Ranjerk sweaters, an injury, but this is exactly what the Isles DONT need ...another really really old centerman to eat up minutes that should go to other younger guys that can skate.
Silly is a great face off man ...but the Isles aren't in a position where they need such a specialist on their team. They're so far away from a cup right now that playing this guy is counter productive ...you just know Nolan will roll Silly and Hunter for over 20 a game next year ....
How are they so far from a cup if they lost 400 man games to injury and still were in contention until late March?
They dominated the Devils and the Skirts all winter and played even or better with Pittsburgh.
Thats nice that you played well in the Metro Hummer ice challenge. However, that doesn't mean they are anywhere close to even sniffing the playoffs, let alone a cup.
You need to realize, the next few years it will be harder to even get in the playoffs with up and coming teams like Wash and Boston to go along with usual playoff teams (Ott, Car, Mont and the rest of the Atlantic Division).
I think AZS was just being realistic.
Busey and all you other Rag$ fans - can you remind me the number of the game in which your beloved team clinched their playoff spot this year? Oh yeah, that's right, it was game number 80 was it not?
So, before you delude yourself into thinking that the Rag$ amount to a perennial playoff team, let alone cup contender, you may want to look in your own mirror so you can see teams like Wash and Boston breathing down your neck too.
None of these teams, including the Islanders, have nearly the marquee names or talent (READ PAYROLL) as the Rag$, but all of them had a shot at pushing you guys out of the race. I would be more scared about that if I were you or a Rag$ fan, but thank god I am not.
Payroll. That's funny in the salary cap era, where you can afford some high-priced talent IF you have young players to complement them. The Rangers do, and there is more talent to come from their minors, so they can continue to $pend on big names in the years to come.
you mean front-load cablevision contracts?
Your so called talent is all late round picks between Flukeqvist, Flukeha, Dogs, Dubielewicz jr and Callahan.
Stop acting like your prospect methods are superior because you lucked out, Staal is hardly a franchise prospect as a rookie.
Your prime picks in Montoya, Jessiman were horrible and you real youth movement was Moore, Betts, Hollewig.
Kind of torn on the Sillinger situation. I'm very happy he's healthy enough to play, but I'd much rather see him dealt in the off-season to somebody who needs a third line center, for a draft pick or even a #1 AHL center with limited upside.
Silly has been a tremendous player, but this year needs to be comitted to developing young talent and to forming a nucleus with guys like Okposo, Bergenhiem and Comeau. Park is the perfect third line center... and if they could resign Vasicek for a year or two he has shown he can make a 3rd line offensive contribution and would fit well with Hunter/Guerin and any number of young players.
A young roster will uncover a lot abotu the organization.
1. Can Nolan really COACH. This is one area where a guy like Arbour dominated some of the other greats. He could take some raw talent and mold it into a piece of something bigger and MORE IMPORTANT than his individual talent.
2. Does this crop have a future? They need a veteran presence, but they will need to step up and BE THE VETERAN PRESENCE in two years... that can't ahppen if they are always in a limited supporting role. Heck, a guy like Davison showed up late for his first game and he was put on the first defensive pairing with Marty... but Comeau had abot 2 minutes of PP all year. these guys (not davison) need to be in positions of responsibility this year.
3. Can Snow sell the talent he has to the talent he needs. he has three roster spots that need to be filled by UFA's(IMO)
30+ goal wing
#1 center
either 6'4" 220 lb D, or PP QB. One of those positions should be given to Hillen or Spiller... but not both. Either Witt gets a new puck movin partner or we see a solid 3 pairs, each having a 220 lb crease clearer and a puck mover.
Snowie can sell a three year deal to those positions with the talent he has in the realm of true Cup contention by 2010. If he can't either he needs to be replaced, or the team needs to be REFACED.
With the ego some rag trolls have, you'd have thought they'd actually have something to gloat about.
Win a second stanley cup since WWII, and it might give you something to gloat over (at least for a summer). Otherwise go hold your heads in shame, for being such a laughing stock of a team for the last 100 years. Continue on with your inferiority complexes, rag fans.
4 CUPS IN A HUNDRED YEARS... do you really think you should look stupid and gloat over anything?
It's not so-called talent. Staal, Dubinsky, Dawes, Callahan, Lundqvist, Girardi have all made an impact right away. Ask the Devils who couldn't compete with the Rangers depth.
Plus they have one of the higher rated systems in the league. Who cares what round the players were drafted in, or if they were drafted at all? The fact is they have a solid foundation and should contend for the playoffs for the forseeable future. Considering where they were from the late '90s through the lockout, this team has done a 180 and is most definitely headed in the right direction.
Ask the Devils who couldn't compete with the Rangers depth?
You mean the Devils who had the better record for the season and outside of the first game (and were tied in that game in the third) could have won any of the games if they got the bounces?
A few of those goal posts go it could have been completely different.
Who rates the NHL teams prospects? James Dolan and John Giannone or someone looking to get advertised on Msg.
You want to give yourself a pat on the back for getting something out of low round picks that's fine but Sather could not tell the difference betweeen Flukeqvist from the waiter at his golf club back in 2000 if he could Montoya never would have been drafted.
Thank god Sather was there to take Jessiman over Parise.
You spent 90m on two centers who could not play with Jagr, you needed to the final days to even qualify for the playoffs and the Isles beat you twice with half the roster out in your own building.
Spare us. You were supposedly going to dominate the league and barely qualified because your team needs to trap.
What's next, your not playing the Devils trap because the Rag spin doctors cannot write the Rags trap? LOL
Good luck keeping those go Habs go chants out of Msg if it's Montreal.
lets see
Lundqvist= 7th round pick, 10 times better then any goalie on the islanders
dubinsky- better then any young player on the islanders
staal- better than any young player on the islanders
i can continue, but then you guys might cry some more
but enjoy your run for 2 decades without a playoff win. Now thats an achievement
how a fan of a team who trades luongo and heatley for TP and lets Chara and other players get away
oh and who also passed up on Parise, can talk about glen sather is hilarious to me.
I wasnt attacking anyone. I dont know why you have to get all pissy.
However, it is hilarious how people still bring up payroll in the salary cap league.. its not my fault that Drury took less money to come play in NYC rather than that dump in uniondale.
D - Money,
Kill Yourself
Regards,
Busey
Dino,
According to HF, Okposo is considered better then both Dubinsky and Staal. Might want to look at sources not affiliated with MSG.
Lunqvuist is on a better team. In a few years (if Snow does it right), when our team is better (and beating other teams besides the rags on a regular basis) then compare goalies.
Enjoy your 60+ years with only 1 cup. Now thats an achievement. LOL
anyone who goes to HF for their info is a moron.
Do you read the Star for your current events?
Posted by Anonymous | April 22, 2008 11:07 How are they so far from a cup if they lost 400 man games to injury and still were in contention until late March?
"in contention" ?
for what, the last playoff spot?
uhh, yeah, they are 'so far' from a cup right now.
Rags suck, call me when Okposo scores 2 goals in one playoff game, or makes the playoffs .
Hopefully for you isles fans, DP will get an injury exception by then...hes been a big joke as a number 1 pick. The only hardware he will ever get is yearly hip replacements.
silly miserable, jealous islanders fans....
0 playoff series wins in the last 16 OUCH
worst team in new york over the last 20 years...including buffalo franchises, the liberty, and the metrostars/red bulls
DOUBLE OUCH
Couldn't have said it better myself, Dino.