It was one of the more perplexing moves leading up to the WHL trade deadline.
The Swift Current Broncos were determined to rid themselves of defenseman Brycen Martin.
The same Brycen Martin who was selected second overall in the 2011 bantam draft.
The same Brycen Martin who was taken by the Buffalo Sabres in the third round of the 2014 NHL draft.
The same Brycen Martin who was supposedly a key defensive cog for a Swift Current team that still harbored designs on being relevant in the Eastern Conference playoff this season, and who at 18 years old would be coming back next season anyway.
Nevertheless, the Broncos not only traded Martin, they traded him twice. And last week Martin shed some light on just why that happened.
Martin, who ended up with the Saskatoon Blades, opened up to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix on why he believes he and the Broncos needed to part ways.
Martin’s words to the StarPhoenix indicated he was dissatisfied in Swift Current.
“Obviously, I was battling with inconsistencies,” Martin told the StarPhoenix. “But at the same time, I wasn’t playing. I wasn’t playing as much as I was used to.
“I got a shot at the top D pairing and lost it right away. I didn’t even really have a shot at the first power play. That was definitely an adjustment for me. Everything kind of fell apart and that’s when the trade happened. I’m thankful for that. It’s helped me elevate my game and move along in my hockey career.”
It was an eye-opener when Martin was originally dealt to Kamloops in exchange for 19-year-old defenseman Josh Connolly and a second-round bantam pick. That deal was voided when Connolly refused to report to Swift Current. The next day Martin was flipped to East Division rival Saskatoon for 18-year-old defenseman Jordan Thomson and a first-round bantam pick.
“I can’t say that I didn’t play a lot,” Martin said of his time with the Broncos this season. “I still played a solid 20 minutes. It’s not really the ice-time factor that bugs me. It’s the situation, knowing that I’m the go-to guy and if I have the energy they (should) want me on the ice.”
Since joining Saskatoon Martin has thrived, posting 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in nine games. That’s a far greater rate than the 16 points he had in 39 games with Swift Current. Over the weekend he had his first games against his former team, tallying a goal and three assists as Saskatoon and Swift Current split a home-and-home set.
And it seems both Martin and the Blades are thrilled with the way things unfolded.
Around the WHL
Eric Comrie has returned to Tri-City’s lineup. The star 19-year-old goaltender was gone for nearly two months, first because he was with Canada for the World Junior Hockey Championships, then because of a lower-body injury. His return ended a stretch of 20 straight starts by back-up Evan Sarthou, who had shutouts in four of the final six of those outings. … Brandon coach Kelly McCrimmon picked up his 400th career victory when the Wheat Kings beat Moose Jaw 6-4 last Friday. He became the 14th WHL coach the reach the 400-win mark. … Portland’s Oliver Bjorkstrand was named the WHL Player of the Week for the second time in four weeks. The 19-year-old forward had four goals and five assists as the Winterhawks went 3-0. That included six points in Portland’s 6-3 victory over Everett on Saturday.
Leaders
Points — Trevor Cox (Medicine Hat) 85; goals — Rourke Chartier (Kelowna), Cole Sanford (Medicine Hat) 41; assists — Cox 63; penalty minutes — Keegan Kanzig (Calgary) 123; wins — Jordan Papirny (Brandon), Jackson Whistle (Kelowna) 30; goals against average — Taran Kozun (Seattle) 2.34; save percentage — Adin Hill (Portland) .927.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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