Markinson wins back-to-back Top Defenseman

[STZ 5,359]

Moscow Menace defenseman, Hard Markinson, took home the Sterling Labatte Award last night at the VHL Awards. This is the second season in a row that Markinson brought home the hardware for Top Defenseman in the VHL. Markinson was nominated once again for top offensive and top defensive, but came up short on those awards. This goes to show his balanced play and his overall performance during the season. Markinson put up 112 points while also having 257 hits and 182 shots blocked. These are the kind of point totals that top scorers put up, and equally the type of defensive stats that really can change the tide of the game. Marksinon then backed up that impressive season with yet another incredible playoff, as he put up another 30 points, as he climbs the all-time playoff point leaderboard.

 

Moscow has seen a lot of big changes on their roster. They've lost both Aurelien Moreau to trade, and Zdeno Chara to an early retirement. Markinson is expected to step up and elevate his game as he becomes a very important piece on the back-end. Wattson Power makes their return to the d-core, but the additions of Jan Hlozek and George Sanderson give Moscow a different dynamic as they try and limit shots and chances giving more support to goaltender Papa Emeritus.