Markinson Makes Case for ROTY

[STZ 5,360]

Moscow, Russia.

 

After a season that had many up's and down's, one positive note the Moscow Menace can hold onto is the play of their rookies. The Menace dressed 8 rookies this season, and had a couple of breakout seasons. Kyle Glass, Bahram Kamkar, Owen Taylor and Andrew Bowman had respectable seasons. Kamkar left due to early retirement, but still had a solid showing in his first and only season. Grapes shined through as a hidden gem, after being drafted 76th overall in S75, he put up 34 points in 72 games, on the second line that showcased Philip Stein and another headlining rookie. Shaggy Tipton found his niche on the first line as he played top-pairing minutes for the Menace. Tipton is an undrafted rookie who is a bit undersized, but has proven to be a helluva find for GM Euron Leonidas. The Seabastard, drafted 3rd Overall by the Menace in last year's S78 draft had a breakout campaign as well, as he notched 29 points, and proved to be a clutch scorer and a gamer with a bright future.

 

While these seven rookies had great seasons, one rookie stood out on top of the class of '78. Hard Markinson, drafted 2nd Overall in the S78 Draft has been the bright light in what was a pretty darkened season for the Russian squad. The menacing defender with offensive upside, broke out. Scouting reports had said this is a hard-hitting defender who can skate and put the puck in the net, but this was supposed to be 2-3 years down the line. Markinson wasted no time as he put up the kind of stats you would expect to see from a seasoned veteran. He not oinly led all rookies in points as a defenseman but also was in the top ten for league-wide shots blocked, and for most of the year was in the top ten for hits. He had an awful time staying out of the box as he landed 3rd overall in the league for PIM. Markinson's play made him a big favorite for ROTY, in a class dominated by defensemen. Here are how the top five players compare.

 

Hard Markinson - 10 G, 46 A, 56 P, 250 HIT, 180 SB

Jan Hlozek - 14 G, 36 A, 50 P, 73 HIT, 115 SB

Tui Sova - 8 G, 32 A, 40 P, 148 HIT, 169 SB

 

While nothing is set in stone, it seems that Markinson led all rookies in almost all significant areas. Not only offensively, but defensively, Markinson was a star for the Menace and has shown the signed of being a franchise defensemen for the team. Whether or not he takes home a trophy at the end of the year, this is a good indication of how bright Moscow's future truly can be.