Wild’s Marcus Foligno wins 2026 King Clancy Memorial Trophy
Minnesota Wild alternate captain Marcus Foligno has been named the 2026 winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, given each year “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
Foligno, 34, was surprised with the award while visiting the Masonic Cancer Center in Minneapolis. What started as a typical visit with his wife and kids turned into a celebration, with his brother and teammate, Nick Foligno, waiting to present him with the trophy in one of the rooms.
Nick previously won the King Clancy back in 2017, in recognition of his support of children’s hospitals and cancer research — the latter in honour of Janis Foligno, Nick and Marcus’s late mother, who died from breast cancer in 2009.
Now, Marcus will also have his name engraved on the award in recognition of his co-creation of the Foligno Face-Off, which raised more than $200,000 for breast cancer research during the 2025-26 season.
The Foligno Face-Off began while Marcus and Nick were still playing on separate teams. Fans were asked to donate $17 (Marcus’s jersey number) or $71 (Nick’s) to show support for either brother during games between the Wild and Chicago Blackhawks. But even when Nick was traded to the Wild in March, the campaign continued, “turning what began as a sibling rivalry into a shared mission to advance cancer research.”
Each team puts forth a nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy at the end of each regular season. From there, a selection committee including NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, former King Clancy winners, and former NHL Foundation Player Award winners choose a winner, who also receives $25,000 to support the charity of his choice.
Marcus Foligno has now been with the Wild for nine full seasons and is the third different player to win the King Clancy while with the team (joining Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba in 2019 and 2020, respectively). The trophy was first awarded back in 1988 after being presented to the NHL by then-Toronto Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard.
In 931 career NHL games over 15 seasons split between the Wild and Buffalo Sabres, Foligno has collected 148 goals and 336 points. He’s added seven goals and 14 points in 45 career playoff contests.