PORTLAND, ME – July 13, 2021 – The Maine Mariners officially added the first player to their 2021-22 roster on Tuesday, announcing the signing of defenseman Brycen Martin. The 25-year-old blue liner was on the Mariners roster in 2018-19, where he enjoyed a career-best season.
“That inaugural season was the most enjoyable year of hockey I’ve had and it was a no brainer to try and get myself back there,” said Martin. “The organization treats the players so professionally and the city of Portland is so beautiful as well!”
Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Martin was selected in the 3rd round of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. He saw sporadic time with their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans between 2015 and 2017, and also played for Buffalo’s ECHL affiliates, the Elmira Jackals (2016-17) and then the Cincinnati Cyclones (2017-18).
Martin was assigned to the Mariners for the 2018-19 season and spent the entire campaign in Maine. He led all Mariners defenseman in scoring as he posted 28 points (7 goals, 21 assists) in 54 games. He was also third on the team in penalty minutes, with 79.
“Bringing Brycen back into the fold, I think he’s going to be a big part of our D corps core this year,” said Mariners Head Coach & Assistant General Manager Riley Armstrong. “Going into his fifth year pro, there are going to be a lot of responsibilities on him. We’re going to look for him to be a leader away from the rink but also at the rink too and we’re expecting big things from him to continue his career into his future.”
For the 2019-20 season, Martin initially signed an ECHL deal with the Fort Wayne Komets and appeared in 29 games, before being traded to the Norfolk Admirals in January of 2020. He totaled four goals and ten assists 47 games between the two teams. The Mariners hosted Norfolk in the last game prior to the 2019-20 season cancellation on March 10th, 2020 – with Martin in the lineup for the Admirals.
Most recently, Martin played in Poland during the 2020-21 season, where he was a member of GKS Tychy, of Polska Hokej Liga. He played in ten regular season games, scoring one goal and adding four assists. He also appeared in ten playoff contests, with one goal and two assists.
Martin, 25 years old, played most of his junior hockey in the Western Hockey League, with the Swift Current Broncos, Saskatoon Blades, and Everett Silvertips.
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