Mature Martin ignores the calendar
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
There are surely fans at GFL Memorial Gardens, and around the OHL, who forget Brady Martin is merely 17-years-old.
But does Martin’s outstanding all-round play also lead to John Dean forgetting the star centre’s youth and relative inexperience?
“All the time,” said Dean, the Soo Greyhounds head coach. “On the ice, the way he plays, it’s definitely, definitely difficult to see him as a 17-year-old. I trust him in all critical situations, power play and penalty-kill. Watching him mature as a player has been so enjoyable.”
But this is only the beginning, added Dean, whose club left the Sault on Wednesday for a three-game trip which begins on Thursday (7:05 p.m.) in Windsor.
“There is still some great room for him to mature and grow,” the coach continued. “And that is scary to think about.”
While plus-minus is a hockey statistic which has been superseded by better ways of measuring a player’s effectiveness, it is significant in the case of Martin, a 2007-birth-year native of Elmira, Ont.
Through 52 games, Martin has a team-leading, plus-minus of plus-21. That’s tremendously impressive when you consider the fact the Hounds have a goals differential of minus-50.
Travis Hayes and Spencer Evans, both at plus-5, are tied for second behind Martin.
While Dean spoke of how plus-minus is a stat the team hesitates to use to measure individual success, this case is different.
“When your team has such a high discrepancy between goals for and goals against, it becomes an incredible stat to look at,” the coach said. “Marty drives play. When he’s on the ice the puck is generally on his stick and he’s going toward the opposition net.”
Dean also explained how the six-foot, 185-pounder has taken significant strides in his play away from the puck.
The Hounds bench boss called him “so tenacious and competitive” away from the puck, “that every game he leads the team in takeaways. And he can throw a massive hit at any time.”
The resulting plus-minus rating is a “stat I look at a lot,” said the soft-spoken Martin. “I try to stay in the plus and get as high up as I can. I want to be on the ice for our goals and not give up a lot.”
A strong 200-foot game, he added, is something to take a lot of pride in.
As far as offensive stats go, Martin is second to Marco Mignosa (32-43-75) in club scoring. He’s produced 29 goals and 32 assists for 61 points.
That includes a hot stretch which has coincided with the Hounds late-season push for a playoff spot.
While he failed to produce a point in the team’s two most-recent games, Martin registered 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points over the Hounds previous 15 contests.
“I feel good. It’s all about helping our team make the playoffs and get into that seventh spot (in the Western Conference),” Martin said.
“What a sign of an elite player that is,” Dean said of the second-year man’s recent average of nearly two points-per-game. “In the most-important games of the season, with his club scrapping for a playoff spot, the young man has been pretty special. He rises to the occasion and relishes the big games.”
Martin credits his wingers, Mignosa and Hayes (18-24-42), saying the trio has performed well together.
He called Mignosa “a really-smart player who makes plays,” before referring to Hayes as “just a savage” for the fellow 17-year-old’s aggressive approach.
“We kind of play a similar game,” Martin added. “And we really read off of each other.”
Taken by the Hounds with the third overall choice in the 2023 Priority Selections draft, Martin is expected to be a first-round selection in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
He tries not to think that far ahead, Martin said.
But he also admits he wants to be chosen as early as possible.
“Oh yeah,” Martin chuckled.
So what kind of player can an NHL team expect to select?
“They’ll be getting a multi-tooled, multi-faceted hockey player who has a competitive edge. It’s one I have not seen in a long, long time,” Dean answered.
Going into Wednesday’s action, the Hounds (24-34-2-2) hold eighth place, one point ahead of ninth-place Owen Sound (22-33-4-3). The Attack plays at home to Flint on Wednesday and both Owen Sound and the Soo have six regular season games remaining.
Sarnia (21-29-5-7), at home to Erie Wednesday, holds seventh spot, two points ahead of the Hounds. The Sting also has six games to play.
Tenth-place Guelph (18-34-5-4) is seven points back of the Greyhounds, but also has a game in hand. The Storm entertains London on Wednesday.
Following their clash in Windsor on Thursday, the Hounds visit Sarnia (7:05 p.m.) on Friday and Flint (7 p.m.) on Saturday.
So what kind of a special challenge does a three-games-in-three-days trip present?
Dean began by saying his focus, as always, involves one game at a time.
However, “players taking care of themselves, managing shift lengths, and having four lines participating in the games will all be critical,” the coach added. “We’re a very confident group and our position (in the standings) is really in our own hands.”
Windsor enters Thursday’s clash with a 42-16-4-1 record.
