With the trade deadline coming up in just a couple of weeks, The Detroit Red Wings have been tied to various players who are reported to be on the block. Just before the calendar turned to February, the Wings wanted to see what they had in their pool before they thought about making a move come March 2nd.
The #RedWings have recalled Alexey Marchenko and re-assigned Xavier Ouellet to the #Griffins.
— MiHockey (@MiHockeyNow) January 30, 2015
Enter 23-year old Alexey Marchenko. Having played in six games so far, the Russian defenseman has no points and is a -1, but has earned praise from head coach Mike Babcock regardless.
I like him. He’s never in the scoring chances against. I actually like him better after the game when I watched the tape than I liked him better during the game. He’s gotta get quicker, but he’s really smart. We practiced the other day and he was our best d-man in a drill down low on a 2 on 1 where all kids we call up get eaten up alive, and he was outstanding. He’s a right-hand shot, a big guy and I’m hoping that’s our trade.
-Red Wings Head Coach Mike Babcock (Detroit Free Press)
Lots of praise for a guy that got selected 205th overall in the 7th round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
So, where does Alexey come from? The KHL. His career started with an appearance on Russia’s U-17 team in the World Hockey Championships in 2007-08. He then started his junior career with CSKA Moscow, interestingly enough, managed by former Wings superstar Sergei Fedorov. Marchenko began in the junior league with Spartak Moskva. Soon enough, he moved up to the MHL’s Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, going up and down between the big club in CSKA Moscow and the minors.
He’s used to the Red Wing way.
It took Marchenko 38 games in the junior league, totaling 18 points, before he got to the MHL the next season in 09-10. From 2009-2013, he totaled 78 points in 84 games with Krasnaya Armiya Moskva.
In a combined 82 games in the KHL, he totaled 11 points, praised highly for his defensive game and as a shut-down type player.
His entry level deal to play with Detroit was signed in the 2013 offseason, and he promptly began in Grand Rapids.
Marchenko quickly won over the praise of Griffins Head Coach Jeff Blashill, playing in 49 games for the club, and netting 18 points, before his season was cut-short by a high-ankle sprain. The Red Wing braintrust getting good looks at him playing in North America generated much of the same praise.
Alexey’s career has been very much under the radar. Thanks to our Russian scout who works for CSKA Moscow, he recommends this kid for the 7th round. He’s smart, he wants to get better, he can skate, and he can make good outlet passes and decisions with the puck. He’s committed, he’s got some leadership in him, let’s give him a chance. We draft him. For every European player, when they make that decision [to play in North America] it’s one of the most important steps in their development.
-Red Wings Head of Player Development Jiri Fischer (DetroitRedWings.com)
“[He’s] more of a defensive defenseman, he’s a right-hand shot, can make a good first pass, he’s 6’2″, doesn’t ‘wow’ you, but he’s a hockey player. The type of player he is at the AHL level is what we hoped he’d be at the NHL level. He’s a steady, safe d-man who can make a good first pass. I think he’s done that, in a small body of work.”
-Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland (DetroitRedWings.com, Detroit Free Press)
“I think he stepped right into the American League and had an immediate impact. He plays a really simple game. He’s strong on his stick, a big strong guy, and makes a simple and easy pass. He’ll take a hit to make a play. I like to compare him to a Brad Stuart type of defenseman. Just kind of a ‘meat and potatoes’ guy that you can count on every night to block shots, play hard, and make simple passes. He’s hard to play against.”
-Red Wings Assistant General Manager Ryan Martin (DetroitRedWings.com)
Marchenko’s career stats thus far:
Courtesy of We All Bleed Redd and awood40, here’s a sample of Alexey Marchenko’s game in Grand Rapids and Detroit.
See where he succeeds in the 2-on-1 situation in drills with Babcock’s group in the first two clips, along with his offensive instincts. Skip to the 5:55 point on the Brendan Smith goal in the Red Wings-Islanders game highlights for evidence of his instincts at the NHL level. He may not have gotten his first NHL point, but he certainly got the “third assist” for his efforts in the neutral zone.
It has been a small sample size for Marchenko at the NHL level, but it’s definitely a good start for a guy projected to be a depth defenseman. He and his partner in Grand Rapids in the form of Xavier Ouellet may have given Detroit more confidence and insurance in their decision of making a move when the calendar turns to March 2nd, due to their performance at the highest level. The 23-year old Russian may go unnoticed for much of the game, but for his style of play, it’s an indication he’s having a good night in his own right.
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Stats/bio courtesy of Elite Prospects
Quotes courtesy of Detroit Red Wings Prospect Report and the Detroit Free Press
Videos courtesy of Youtube and YT users We All Bleed Redd and awood40
Main Photo:
