DETROIT – Last February, Alexey Marchenko became just the eighth Russian-born defenseman in history to score a goal for the Red Wings, making a splash with his first-career NHL goal.
A seventh-round draft pick of the Wings in 2011, Marchenko developed into a big-bodied, physical presence on the blue line at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds. His biggest asset though, was the highly coveted right-handed shot that is so hard to find in NHL circles.
Called up from the Grand Rapids Griffins on Jan. 31, Marchenko’s addition gave the Wings just three right-handed players on the entire roster — joined by center Luke Glendening and forward Teemu Pulkkinen — and was the only right-handed defenseman in the lineup at the time.