Tomas Marcinko

2007-08 Update: October 1, 2007: Tomas Marcinko missed Barrie's first game of the season on Sept. 20th vs. Ottawa while away at the New York Islanders training camp. He returned for Barrie's second game and recorded his first goal of the season, a power play goal, in a 5-4 loss at Peterborough. The Colts posted a 1-3-0 record in September and were 1-2-0 with Marcinko in the lineup.

2006-07 Update: May 1, 2007 Playoff Update: The Barrie Colts advanced to the second round of the OHL playoffs to take on the Sudbury Wolves. Barrie was upset by the Wolves losing in 4 straight, 4 games to 0. The Colts lost game one in overtime, and then lost games 2 and 3 in double overtime. Tomas Marcinko did not record a point in the series. In the playoffs, he only recorded one assist in 8 games played.

April 1, 2007: Tomas Marcinko went 1-3-4 in 5 games played with the Barrie Colts during the month of March. His goal came on the power play in the Colts final game of the regular season, a win vs. Peterborough on Mar. 17th. Marcinko ended the season on a 3 game point scoring streak in which he went 1-3-4 from Mar. 14th to 17th. He missed 3 games in March: 3/8 vs. Toronto, 3/9 at Kingston, and 3/11 at Ottawa. Marcinko finished 17th among rookie scorers in the OHL and tied for tenth among rookies in goals scored. Barrie went 7-1-0 in March to finish the regular season with an overall record of 48-18-1. Playoffs: The Barrie Colts faced the Brampton Battalion in the first round of the OHL playoffs, best of seven series. The Colts swept the series 4 games to 0 to advance to the second round. Marcinko recorded an assist in the series. It came on the game winning overtime goal in game 4 to help Barrie win 5-4 in Brampton on Mar. 29th. Two of their wins came in overtime.

March 1, 2007: Tomas Marcinko went 6-5-11 in 12 games played with the Barrie Colts during the month of February. He was a +5 and went 4-1-5 on the power play. Marcinko had a 3 game point scoring streak in which he went 4-2-6 from Feb. 3rd to 9th. He had the best game yet of his junior career on Feb. 8th by recording a hat trick which consisted of the first goal of the game, 2 power play goals and the game winner vs. Sudbury. Marcinko also scored the first goal of the game in a 5-1 win vs. the Toronto St. Michael's Majors on Feb. 18th. He also recorded a goal Feb. 1st in a 4-0 win vs. the Oshawa Generals. Barrie posted a record of 7-5-0 in February and they are 41-17-1 overall. 

February 1, 2007: Tomas Marcinko recorded 1 goal in 8 games played with the Barrie Colts during the month of January. The goal came in his first game back from the World Junior Championship's on Jan. 12th in a 2-1 loss at Kitchener. It was also the first goal of the game. Marcinko missed three games in January due to the WJC's: 1/4 vs. Oshawa, 1/5 at Sudbury, and 1/6 vs. Ottawa. He missed a total of 8 games while playing for Slovakia at the WJC's. During that period Barrie posted a record of 5-3-0 with Marcinko out of the lineup. With him in the lineup Barrie posted a record of 5-3-0 in January and they went 7-4-0 on the month. Overall they are 34-12-1. 

January 1, 2007: Tomas Marcinko went 3-2-5 in 6 games played with the Barrie Colts during the month of December. He recorded one goal and three points on the power play. Marcinko scored the game tying goal in an eventual 2-1 shootout win at the Plymouth Whalers on Dec. 9th. Marcinko is among the top 15 rookie scorers in the OHL. While away Marcinko missed five games with Barrie: 12/15 at Erie, 12/16 vs. Kitchener, 12/28 at Mississauga, 12/29 at London and 12/31 vs. Guelph. Barrie posted a record of 5-1-0 with Marcinko in the lineup and 3-2-0 without him, 8-3-0 on the month of December. Overall they are 27-8-1. WJC's Update: Marcinko left Barrie in mid December to join the Slovakian National Junior Team. He had a pretty good tournament playing on a team that wasn't very strong. Marcinko recorded a goal and 4 points in 6 games played. During the preliminary round, Marcinko recorded an assist in a 6-3 loss to Sweden. On Dec. 30th, he was named player of the game for Slovakia in their 6-1 loss to Team USA. His best game came in Slovakia's 9-0 relegation win over Belarus on Jan. 4th, when Marcinko scored a goal and 2 assists. The win saved Slovakia from getting relegated for next years tournament.

December 1, 2006: Tomas Marcinko went 2-5-7 in 11 games played for the OHL's Barrie Colts during the month of November. Scored a goal on back to back nights in a 4-2 win at Saginaw on Nov. 3rd and against Windsor on Nov. 4th. Barrie posted an 8-3-0 record during the month of October. They are 19-5-1 overall.

November 1, 2006: Tomas Marcinko has acclimated himself fine to the Barrie Colts and the OHL in his first season in North America. In 12 games played during the month of October, Marcinko went 5-6-11 and was a +4. Four of his five goals came on the power play. Marcinko had a four game point scoring streak from October 5th to 12th in which he went 3-4-7. He also recorded a goal and 2 assists in a 6-4 win at the Toronto St. Michael's Majors on October 22nd. Marcinko has helped Barrie storm out of the gates with a 9-2-1 record in October and a 11-2-1 record overall.

October 1, 2006: Tomas Marcinko was returned to the Barrie Colts of the OHL from the New York Islanders training camp on September 26th. He played in his first career OHL game September 29, 2006 at the Brampton Battalion. Marcinko scored his first career OHL goal, on the power play, September 30, 2006 in a 5-2 loss vs. the Mississauga IceDogs. He wears #6.

Season Highlights

* Named third star with 2 goals(2 PP) in 4-3 loss vs. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds October 5, 2006.
* Named third star with a goal (GW) in 4-1 win at Windsor Spitfires November 4, 2006.
* Named first star with 3 goals (GW, 2PP) in 8-2 win vs. Sudbury Wolves February 8, 2007.
* Named third star with a goal & an assist in 9-1 win vs. Peterborough Petes March 17, 2007.

Colts Take Part in WJC's
barriecolts.com, Dec. 11, 2006

The Colts will be without two forwards for the next little while as Bryan Little and Tomas Marcinko will be away attending their respective country’s World Junior Team Selection Camps….Little left for Calgary, Alberta Sunday morning and will take part in Canada’s tryout camp that runs from December 10-15, and Marcinko will leave for Bratislava, Slovakia on December 14 where he will take part in team practices and exhibition games in preparation for the World Junior Tournament which runs from December 26-January 5 in Leksand, Sweden…..Dissimilar from Canada, Slovakia names their team in advance so all of the players attending their pre-competition camps will make the team and compete in the annual tournament….If Little makes Canada, he will leave with the team from Calgary to Europe to take place in pre-tournament exhibition games.

Junior hockey Marcinko making his mark with Colts
Colts have won three in a row
by Sharon Bamford, simcoe.com, Nov. 24, 2006

Nearly three months into his first season in Canada, Barrie Colts centre, Tomas Marcinko has learned a lot about his game, the English language and what it means to be a single 18-year-old OHL athlete.

After a young Marcinko watched his father play pro hockey in Slovakia for most of his childhood, he decided to be just like his dad.

Heading out onto the ice at the young preschool age most boys do, young Tomas showed a true talent for the game as a strong skater at centre ice.

Coming from the Slovakian hockey town of Poprad, it was off the mark to choose any other sport to go pro in than hockey. By his early teens, Marcinko had proved himself to be a strong two-way forward while playing two seasons in the HC Kosice Under-20 Extraliga in Slovakia.

In 2005, Marcinko had the opportunity to play for Team Slovakia in the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he collected one goal - an opportunity that repeated itself in 2006.

It was from the Kosice Juniors, that Marcinko was drafted in the CHL Import Draft in 2005 to the Barrie Colts with their first round pick (55th overall).

His budding career in Slovakia as a smooth stickhandler and good decision maker on the ice, surely made an impression on the North American Hockey scene, as it was just a short year later that the New York Islanders got their gloves on him in their fourth-round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Making the trip from another country through a hockey draft can be taxing on an athlete, especially when your English isn't very strong.

But Marcinko has two things to get him by here in Barrie: his Slovak-English translation book, and his newfound friends and colleagues from his team of Colts.

"I carry around a translation book," says the modest 6' 4" centre. "And sometimes when I hear the guys say something I will go and look it up."

Since coming to Barrie, Tomas has learned a few things since becoming a part of the Colts brotherhood, like what it means to land in Canada as a young hockey player with no relational attachments

"The guys say it's good to be single. The guys tell me I'm a..." he pauses while tapping his knee to remember the term, "they say I'm a free agent!"

Although 'the free agent' Marcinko didn't leave behind a girlfriend in Slovakia, he did leave behind his mother, father and a hockey playing younger brother.

Talking to his family everyday over the Internet, Marcinko says, helps get him through those days, as well as the anticipation of seeing them over the Christmas holidays.

Thus far in his burgeoning OHL career with the Colts, he has played a very smart 22 games in which he has scored eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points. It's no wonder why the New York Islanders are so enthusiastic about developing this 210-pound forward, whose defensive instincts and large frame will defiantly be an asset to any team he plays for.

Friday night, on the road, Marcinko and the rest of the Colts face off against the Mississauga IceDogs. After being defeated 4-1 in their own arena by the Ice Dogs just last month, it's a game that Marcinko says that he and the boys need to be on the ball for.

"Last time we lost to them; so this time, penalty kills and scoring is really important for us," he said.

The Colts have won three straight games, and eight of their last ten.

caption: Tomas Marcinko was a star back in his native Slovakia before coming over to play in the Ontario Hockey League with the Barrie Colts. The New York Islanders pick currently ranks seventh in team scoring.

excerpt from Northernlife.ca
October 2006

Barrie has been getting plenty of decent miles out of rookie import Tomas Marcinko, who they picked 55th overall in the 2005 CHL Import Draft.

Marcinko stands six-foot-four and weighs 210-pounds. In his first 11 games, he had six goals, 12 points and many admirers.

“What we like...is that he’s so responsible defensively,” said the coach. “He cares and works hard. The offence will keep coming...and get better. He’s still going through a transition."

 

	Isles Select C Tomas Marcinko 115th Overall
	C Tomas Marcinko Born: April 11, 1988, Poprad, Slovakia 2005-06: Kosice Jr. (SVK) Shoots: Right ISS: 20th overall

THN: There is another giant from Slovakia, the country that produced Ottawa's Zdeno Chara. Like Chara, Tomas Marcinko is big and talented. "He has a lot of skill and it just needs to be nurtured a little," said a Czech scout. Slovakia's junior league is competitive and the 6-foot-4 center put up decent numbers while leading the league in shots. He also played a handful of games in the men's league, but was held pointless. "People like his size, but he's not Marian Hossa," a second scout said. "Nowhere near that skill level." Marcinko has the talent to be a strong No. 2 center, but he doesn't have enough to be the go-to guy. "You like his moves and the way he moves the puck, but at the end of the night there are no points on the board," said a veteran scout. "You want points from a No. 2 center."

Islanders Scout: "Tomas is a very strong and talented skater with excellent size," said European scout Karel Pavlik. "He has good defensive instincts and is an excellent skater for his size. We're thrilled to get Tomas in the fourth round."

CSB: A good skater with fine acceleration and balance....a big two-way center with a high over-all skill level....a good skater for his size....has a very good understanding of the game....fair puck control, makes the right decisions at the right time....smart, cool and clever in both ends of the ice....smooth hands....effective on face-offs....works hard all over the ice but could be more aggressive....knows his defensive duties very well. 

- Marcinko was the 55th pick overall by the OHL's Barrie Colts in the 2005 CHL Import Draft. It is believed he will join Barrie for the 2006-07 season.
- was the first Slovak chosen in the 2006 NHL Draft
- projected as a playmaking second line center by THN

COLTS SELECT SLOVAK FORWARD
June 29, 2005 - barriecolts.com

Barrie, ON- The Barrie Colts today announced they have selected 17-year old Slovak centre Tomas Marcinko with their first round pick (55th overall) in the 2005 CHL Import Draft.  Marcinko, 6.03, 185 pounds, last season registered eleven goals to go along with 18 assists through 38 games as a member of HC Kosice in the Slovak Under-20 Extraliga.  He also appeared in six games and collected one goal for Team Slovakia in the 2005 World Under-18 Hockey Championships.