3rd Round #74 overall - Brycen Martin

[LGR4GM]

Defender - LHD - 6'3" 185lbs

 

Defensively, Martin is a smart player who is good positionally and works hard in battles along the boards and in front of the net. He shows a willingness to take a hit in order to make a good breakout pass in his own zone. He’s not a huge hitter but is willing to play physical when necessary. Martins has a high hockey IQ, and anticipates plays well, cutting down passing lanes and making a strong first pass to get the transition game started. The issues with pivots can make him susceptible to fast forwards who can take him wide

http://lastwordonsports.com/2014/05/09/2014-nhl-draft-profile-36-brycen-martin/

Edited June 28, 2014 by LGR4GM

[darksabre]

Offensive minded defenseman. Over 6'. No surprises here.

[nobody]

Remind me in 5 years to see how he is progressing.

[LGR4GM]

He was ranked 26th for NA Skaters by CSS. Ranked #36 by Last Word. Ranked #52 by Craig Button

 

Remind me in 5 years to see how he is progressing.

Probably fairly accurate statement.

[26CornerBlitz]

Black Book

 

Listed 26th on NHL Central Scouting’s final draft ranking. Martin is not a flashy player, he’s content to play a two-way game by focusing on his own end and springing teammates on odd-man rushes with tape-to-tape passes when he has the puck. Martin is a smooth-skating defender with overall good mobility. For being such a smooth skater, he doesn’t generate as much power as hoped with his stride. As he matures, he’ll develop that portion of his skating.

 

Offensively, Martin has made most of his contributions by using good vision and passing skills to set up teammates. He has also been able to put pucks on net with his above average shot. Defensively, he’s had success when he’s able to close gaps quickly when playing one-on-one situations. Unfortunately, he doesn’t always recognize quickly enough of when to press and close gaps until it is sometimes too late.

 

When Martin is at his best, he uses an active stick to cause turnovers and then he quickly transitions the puck forward with hard, efficient passes. Martin moves well laterally and this allows him to keep the play to the outside. Very rarely does Martin give the forward the middle of the ice. He places himself in good defensive positions along the boards and in the corners and uses his size and stick to gain possession of the puck. When handling the puck in his defensive zone Martin is usually calm and relaxed.

 

While Martin has good size, he needs to gain much more strength, as he actually plays smaller than his size due to his inability to push opponents off the puck. While there are things to like about Martin, he’s drifted a bit into a becoming a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none type player. How does he project at the next level? As a pro, he lacks the awareness to be a powerplay guy and he’s not good enough to be a shutdown defender. He’s also not overly physical. At this time, Martin is likely a bottom-pairing player as he looks to round out his game, but could develop into something more if he can clean up the defensive aspect of his game. His biggest area of concern is his inconsistent play where he can look like a top 10 first round prospect one shift then struggle to make any positive contributions the next.

 

ISS

 

An agile skater with good puck skills and strong offensive vision and instincts, Martin had a very up and down season. He found himself out of situations that he seemed in line to earn over the year before due to the arrival of Julius Honka. There is a lot to work with with Martin but he struggled to put it all together consistently throughout the year. When he’s on he can be a strong contributor in all three zones. Defensively he understands the mechanics of boxing out, containing the middle lanes and fishing out pucks from battles. Offensively, he has a good shot, can shake opponents with quick lateral moves and skate the puck well on his own.

 

McKeen's

 

Formed one of the better defence tandems in the WHL this season partnered with fellow NHL draft eligible defenseman Julius Honka.. a robust and eager performer who wants to be involved at both ends .. pro-active supporting the puck and getting into positions to provide an outlet .. prides himself on seeing and attacking offensive opportunities .. pinching aggressively with good vision to spot open passing lanes .. still needs to work on overall consistency making mistakes but seeming to persevere due to an unwavering work ethic and strong follow up instincts .. struggles with inconsistent passing, missing the mark on routine plays not providing high-end finesse skills .. skating has progressed substantially, and is notably stronger and more agile .. more work needed on transition footwork and turning speed while backing up and defending the rush .. defensive reactions are not second nature compounding his problems if he makes a mistake and gets caught running around .. employing a good set of tools to draw from but factors to be a decent number #4 cut in the same mould as a Brayden Coburn .. improvement required on his vision and on-ice awareness but will provide a solid depth option.

 

FC

 

SCOUTING REPORT: A dependable two-way blueliner. His skating is superb. He shows dynamic footwork to go along with an effortless stride. He is a pass-first transition player, but can also rush the puck when given the space to do so. Very good hands allow him to make quick adjustments and maintain possession against the forecheck. His smarts are his most impressive attribute as he seems to never panic. Martin never makes any truly dominant plays, but his calming presence and reliability in distributing the puck is phenomenal. He seems to find acutely precise and quietly spectacular ways to get the puck to his teammates, whether it is making a couple nimble steps to get around opponents or simply accelerating to quickly change the pace. It may not always stick out, but these plays are some of what makes him a very good pro prospect. Martin can be a little inconsistent in the defensive zone. He is able to keep close gaps because of his skating ability, but lacks the strength to keep guys in check. He does a good job of occasionally throwing a check and pinning the guy to the boards to briefly take him out of the play. We would like to see him bulk up so he doesn’t have to rely as much on his stick to win battles. Keeps good position in his own zone.

 

THN

 

DEFENSEMEN AT THIS AGE often have to work on their game in their own end and Martin is no exception. He makes a good first pass and can sometimes skate his way out of trouble with his Quickness, but needs to improve his defensive play. "He could certainly be more physical, but there are a lot of D at that age who aren't ready to play that role," said one scout. That could come in the next couple of years of junior."

 

Martin's first-pass ability has been his calling card so far and intrigues scouts the most. The other elements of his game are somewhat lacking, and there is concern about how he reacts when things break down. "I don't think he shows the mental toughness to pull himself out of bad plays," said another scout. "Bad plays often lead to prolonged lower-level plays for him. Where some guys can shake it off and come out the next shift like nothing happened, often one bad shift follows another, and that morphs into slumps."

[26CornerBlitz]

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VIDEO: Brycen Martin addresses the media after being selected by #Sabres - http://goo.gl/dNIav1

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