[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems, Vol. 12):

C/RW Owen Martin (6'0",183)
Spokane (WHL): 39gp/ 13g/ 21a/ 34 pts, +16, 20 PIM

The Spokane Chiefs finished the WHL regular-season in 4th-place overall, and they were 2nd in goals-for; C Owen Martin (ranked # 69 NA Skaters) doesn't usually get to play big minutes with how deep and talented a team they are, and he missed a huge chunk of the season due to injury. In 13 games in February however, he amassed 19 points. Martin is an all-situations pivot who plays both sides of special teams, and does a lot of the dirty work for his linemates, including retrievals, digging out pucks, winning possession along the wall, pushing pace on the forecheck, being a general nuisance to cause turnovers, and playing a smart off-puck game. He displays some vision and hockey sense, with passing being his primary weapon, but scouts say he doesn't use nearly enough deception in his on-puck play, and needs better precision in his feeds. There are flashes of high-end creativity at times, with his connective playmaking being a big asset. Off the puck, he works hard and stays active to make himself a consistent playable option, and he supports the play well in all three zones.

Martin is more of an advantage-creator, complimentary piece, and facilitator than a play-driver, with no real dynamism in his game; he won't bring anyone out of their seat, but that shouldn't be confused with a lack of intelligence or offensive awareness. In the offensive zone, he locates soft spots in coverage to occupy, dips in-and-out of space around the net, and reads the ice well- he knows his next move before the puck arrives to his blade. He finds ways to cut inside, and has a pretty good shot with pinpoint accuracy; he gets good power on his catch-and-release wrister, with the ability to use screens to fool goalies. There's no fear in him to drive the middle, or go the net, and he has fairly soft hands in-close- although he hasn't shown himself to be a huge goal-scoring threat, with only 13 tallies. Martin doesn't back down from the rough stuff, showing compete in the hard areas of the ice, and he will throw hits to dislodge pucks. Mobility-wise, he's a good skater, more quick than outright fast, but definitely not a burner. He shows a bit of an explosive burst at times, and can change pace and direction on a dime, but needs to build another gear or two. He is a strong transitional player, connecting plays for entries, but he skates mostly straight-line routes in his carries, weaving through traffic, pushing pace, and driving defenders back. He's an excellent stickhandler and can sometimes make defenders look silly with his slick dekes and dangles. Once he gains the zone, he cuts back to open space and find options, and uses delays to draw pressure away from teammates- this is a huge part of his game.

Martin skates just as hard on the backcheck as he does on the forecheck; he's an excellent two-way contributor, and anchors his line with his defensive play- not just in his own-zone, but in all three. He exhibits pristine positioning, spotless defensive awareness, and he reads the play well to be perpetually a step or two ahead of the play. Martin skates into his adversaries' hands, and is highly disruptive in the way he gets into lanes, blocks shots, intercepts passes, and steals pucks. Going forward, he will need to further develop his strength and speed, and could use more power in his shot. Deception is a huge part of the game these days, and Martin won't get far unless he learns how to use it to make space for himself. There are skills here that are translatable, but he would do himself a favor by improving his offensive toolkit, and by developing a few more NHL-quality traits; scouts would like to see him take more calculated risks in order to drive play more, and to develop his creativity. With his defensive mind, he will have a solid NHL floor as bottom-six two-way player- if he keeps developing his transitional game. There's plenty of hope though, that he can reach his ceiling as a second-line two-way contributor, though he might get switched to the wing- but with a faceoff percentage of 56.5, he's got a shot at being a full-time C. Look for him in the 3rd, or 4th-round.