By Joe Coopersmith
JULY 28, 2024
COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed right wing Kirill Marchenko (pronounced mahr-CHEHN-koh) to a three-year, $11.55 million contract ($3.85 million AAV) through the 2026-27 National Hockey League season, club President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell announced today.
“Kirill Marchenko has been an important player for the Blue Jackets during his first two NHL seasons and reaching an agreement to keep him in Columbus was important to us,” said Waddell. “He has size, skill and the ability to score goals and will continue to be a big part of our core group moving forward.”
Marchenko, who turned 24-years-old on July 21, has registered 44 goals and 23 assists for 67 points with 30 penalty minutes, 16 power play goals (PPG) and 324 shots on goal, while averaging 16:19 of ice time in 137 career NHL outings since making his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets in 2022-23. He was originally selected by Columbus in the second round, 49th overall, at the 2018 NHL Draft.
The 6-3, 195-pound winger set single-season career highs and led the team in goals and PPG and ranked second in shots on goal and third in points in 2023-24 with 23-19-42, nine PPG and 193 shots on goal in 78 appearances. He is the second Blue Jacket to record back-to-back 20-goal seasons to begin his NHL career (Pierre-Luc Dubois) and posted 35-14-49 in his first 100 contests to tie Rick Nash for the most goals through the first 100 games of an NHL career in franchise history.
Marchenko started the 2022-23 season with the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters and racked up 8-11-19 in 16 games before making his NHL debut on Dec. 6, 2022 at Pittsburgh. He then set franchise records for most goals and power play goals (tied) by a rookie with 21-4-25 and seven PPG in 59 appearances. He also finished tied for the NHL lead among rookies in PPG (Anaheim’s Mason McTavish) and ranked third in goals.
A native of Barnaul, Russia, Marchenko totaled 34-30-64, 33 PIM, seven PPGs, 235 shots on goal and a cumulative +31 plus/minus rating in 114 career games with HC Yugra and SKA St. Petersburg in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League from 2017-22. He represented Russia at the 2019 (bronze medal) and 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships as well as the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championships.
‐ CBJ ‐
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