Hounds Martin motivated by urgency
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
The magnitude of what could lie just ahead certainly isn’t lost on Brady Martin.
The 18-year-old (2007 birth year) centre realizes this could be his final season in a Soo Greyhounds uniform.
And that has served to stiffen his plan to lead the Hounds to a championship.
“I’m obviously thinking of that possibility and I would love another year or two of junior hockey with the Greyhounds,” said Martin, chosen by the Nashville Predators fifth overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. “But if you get the opportunity to play in the NHL or the AHL, you obviously have to take it.”
Considering how rapid his ascension has been, Martin could make the Predators next season as a 19-year-old.
And even if he isn’t quite ready for the NHL, a rule change allowing NHL teams to place one 19-year-old in the American Hockey League per season is in the works.
“So you obviously want to go out with a bang and have a very successful season,” said Martin, who notched 33 goals and 39 assists in 57 games a season ago.
He also posted an impressive plus-minus of plus-25, despite skating for a team that allowed 42 more goals than it scored.
Saying he’s been very impressed by the talent on the 2025-2026 Hounds, Martin spoke of how “if we put our minds to it, work hard in practice and come together as a group, I think we can win a league championship. I feel we can definitely take a run at the Mem Cup this year.”
The ’26 Memorial Cup is set to begin May 22 in Kelowna, B.C.
Is such talk an exaggeration?
Not at all, said Martin.
“I think we’re unbelievable,” added the six-foot, 188-pounder, whose club is slated to open the regular season on Friday against Saginaw (7:07 p.m. at GFL Memorial Gardens). “I think our young guys are looking real good. We’ve made a lot of good additions and I think we have a real chance to go for it this year.”
The Elmira, Ont., native, an alternate captain a season ago, has proven himself a respected team leader.
Asked what he must do to help carry this club to a memorable season, Martin talked about leading by example on and off the ice.
He said he plans to take the younger players under his wing.
In which ways is he a better player today than in his first training camp, as the OHL’s third pick overall, in 2023?
“My skill level and skating. My puck skills mainly,” Martin began. “Deaner (head coach John Dean), Tales (assistant coach Brendan Taylor) and the other assistant coaches have helped me become a better player.”
Assistant coach Daniel Nikandrov is about to begin his second season with the Soo.
From the day Martin arrived, Dean has hailed both his talent and competitive nature.
Heading into this season, the coach spoke of how he believes Martin “can be one of the elite players in the league, if not the most-elite player. And with his exceptional leadership, he sets a standard, on and off the ice, for the rest of our group.”
The Hounds centre called June 27 of this year an unforgettable day.
That’s when the Predators selected him with the fifth pick on Day 1 of the draft.
Martin said he was “shocked” to be chosen so early.
While following the proceedings at home with family and friends, he described the feeling as “unbelievable, unreal. I’d never felt anything like that before.”
Martin didn’t wait long to sign, inking a three-year, entry-level deal with the Preds on Aug. 20.
He agreed being chosen at the top of the draft and quickly signing “makes this the best time of my life. You have to enjoy it and realize it doesn’t happen to many people.”
