Marco Scandella

Marco Scandella
Scandella with the Minnesota Wild in 2011
Born	(1990-02-23) February 23, 1990 (age 35) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	208 lb (94 kg; 14 st 12 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	Minnesota Wild Buffalo Sabres Montreal Canadiens St. Louis Blues
NHL draft	55th overall, 2008 Minnesota Wild
Playing career	2009–2024

Marco Scandella (born February 23, 1990) is an Italian-Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and St. Louis Blues. Scandella played major junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the Val d'Or Foreurs prior to being selected by the Wild in the second-round, 55th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Amateur

Scandella began his junior career with the Val d'Or Foreurs of the QMJHL. Shortly after returning from the 2010 World Junior Championships tournament, Scandella was suspended for 15 games by the QMJHL for elbowing Alexandre Durette of the Rimouski Océanic in the head. ^[1]

Professional

Minnesota Wild

Scandella made his NHL debut for the Minnesota Wild on November 12, 2010, against the Florida Panthers. ^[2] He scored his first career NHL goal during the first game of the 2011–12 season against Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Scandella began his breakout year in the 2013–14 season, skating in 76 games with the Wild and playing the majority of his minutes on the second defensive pairing with close friend Jared Spurgeon. He scored three goals and added 14 assists for 17 points over the course of the season.

There were high expectations for Scandella entering the 2014–15 season. He immediately made an impact, going on a scoring streak and surpassing his career totals of goals scored. He scored the overtime winners against the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars on November 14 and November 29, and on the latter date signed a five-year, $20 million contract extension with Minnesota. ^[3] Scandella was later fined $2,755.38 for an illegal check to the head of the St. Louis Blues' T. J. Oshie on December 1, and nine days later, he was suspended a further two games for the same infraction against the New York Islanders' Brock Nelson. ^[4]

Buffalo Sabres

After seven seasons with Minnesota, Scandella (alongside Jason Pominville and a 2018 fourth-round pick) was traded to the Buffalo Sabres on June 30, 2017 in exchange for Tyler Ennis, Marcus Foligno and a third-round pick. ^[5]

Montreal Canadiens

Entering the final year of his contract in the 2019–20 season, Scandella contributed with three goals and nine points in 31 games. On January 3, 2020, Scandella was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2020 fourth-round pick. ^[6] He scored his first goal for the Canadiens on February 8 in a 2–1 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. ^[7]

St. Louis Blues

On February 18, 2020, Scandella, after only one month with the Canadiens, was traded on to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick and 2021 conditional fourth-round pick. ^[8] Scandella made 11 regular season appearances with the Blues, registering 1 assist, before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On April 16, 2020, the Blues signed Scandella as an impending free agent to a four-year, $13.1 million contract extension. ^[9]

After going unsigned during the 2024 offseason, Scandella confirmed his retirement from professional hockey on October 27, 2024. ^[10]

International play

Scandella at the 2010 World Junior Championship
Medal record
Representing Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
	2010 Saskatchewan
World U18 Championships
	2008 Kazan

Scandella represented Canada internationally for the first time at the 2008 World Under-18 Championships, helping his country to a gold medal and recording one goal and one assist in seven games. ^[11] He also represented Canada at the 2010 World Junior Championships, helping the team to a silver medal and recording one goal and two assists in six games. ^[11]

Personal life

Scandella is the nephew of former NHLer Sergio Momesso. ^[12] Marco's older brother, Giulio Scandella, played professional hockey in Italy and was a member of the Italian national team with whom he appeared at the 2006 Winter Olympics. ^{[11] [13]} Scandella's father, Francesco, is an Italian immigrant, and Marco is trilingual, speaking English, French and Italian. ^[14]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2005–06	Cégep Édouard-Montpetit	QMAAA		42	3	4	7	40		3	0	0	0	2
2006–07	Montréal Prédateurs	QMAAA		42	7	13	20	66		3	0	1	1	10
2007–08	Val-d'Or Foreurs	QMJHL		65	4	10	14	35		4	0	1	1	4
2008–09	Val-d'Or Foreurs	QMJHL		58	10	27	37	64		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Houston Aeros	AHL		2	0	0	0	0		6	0	0	0	2
2009–10	Val-d'Or Foreurs	QMJHL		31	9	22	31	41		6	2	4	6	4
2009–10	Houston Aeros	AHL		7	0	1	1	7		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Houston Aeros	AHL		33	3	16	19	17		20	2	6	8	8
2010–11	Minnesota Wild	NHL		20	0	2	2	2		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Minnesota Wild	NHL		63	3	9	12	19		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Houston Aeros	AHL		9	2	3	5	4		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Houston Aeros	AHL		45	2	15	17	23		2	1	0	1	2
2012–13	Minnesota Wild	NHL		6	1	0	1	4		5	1	1	2	0
2013–14	Minnesota Wild	NHL		76	3	14	17	20		13	2	1	3	0
2014–15	Minnesota Wild	NHL		64	11	12	23	56		10	2	1	3	0
2015–16	Minnesota Wild	NHL		73	5	16	21	22		6	1	0	1	4
2016–17	Minnesota Wild	NHL		71	4	9	13	25		5	0	0	0	2
2017–18	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		82	5	17	22	37		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		63	6	7	13	26		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		31	3	6	9	8		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		20	1	2	3	8		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	St. Louis Blues	NHL		11	0	1	1	4		9	0	0	0	0
2020–21	St. Louis Blues	NHL		49	3	6	9	24		4	0	0	0	0
2021–22	St. Louis Blues	NHL		70	3	11	14	18		4	0	0	0	0
2022–23	St. Louis Blues	NHL		20	1	1	2	6		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	St. Louis Blues	NHL		65	2	6	8	15		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				784	51	119	170	294		56	6	3	9	6

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008	Canada	U18			7	1	1	2	6
2010	Canada	WJC			6	1	2	3	2
Junior totals					13	2	3	5	8

References

1. "Quebec junior hockey player suspended 15 games for headshot". faceoff.com. CanWest News Service. 2010-02-09. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
2. "Marco Scandella Minnesota Wild". Minnesota Wild . Retrieved 2010-11-13.
3. Russo, Michael (2014-11-29). "Wild rewards Scandella with five-year, $20 million contract extension". Star Tribune . Minneapolis, MN. Archived from the original on 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
4. "Scandella suspended two games for hit on Nelson". sportsnet.ca. December 10, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
5. "Sabres bolster defense and bring back Jason Pominville in trade". TWC News. 2017-06-30. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
6. "Canadiens acquire defenceman Marco Scandella from Sabres". Montreal Canadiens. January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
7. Cowan, Stu (2020-02-09). "Canadiens beat Leafs in OT to boost playoff hopes". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
8. "Blues acquire Scandella from Montreal". St. Louis Blues. February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
9. "Scandella agrees to four-year contract extension with Blues". St. Louis Blues . April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
10. DeFranks, Matthew (October 27, 2024). "Quebec native Blues forward Zack Bolduc expects 'special night' playing against Canadiens". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . Retrieved October 28, 2024. While he didn't officially announce the end of his career, Scandella said he is retired from playing hockey and is enjoying traveling with his newfound free time. Scandella, 34, played in 784 NHL games.
11. Podnieks, Andrew (ed.). IIHF Guide & Record Book 2014. Toronto: Fenn/McClelland & Stewart. p. 401.
12. Wharnsby, Tim (2010-01-03). "Canadian juniors advance to gold-medal game". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2014-12-24. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
13. "Scandella, Marco". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2014-11-30. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
14. Erickson, Kelly (December 15, 2013). "Just Enjoy It". Minnesota Wild Hockey Club Website. National Hockey League. Retrieved December 2, 2014.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Eurohockey.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database