The Laval Rocket has announced that they signed 6’0″ defenseman Charles Martin from Blainville, Quebec for the 2025-26 season.
Junior and Collegiate Career
Charles Martin got his start in collegiate hockey with the Collège Lionel-Groulx Nordiques of the QCHL in the 2016-17 season. In 28 games with the Nordiques, Martin had one assist and 36 penalty minutes.
Martin then moved to the QJHL where he played for the Saint-Jérôme Panthères. With the Panthères, Martin played in 49 games where he had seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points with 56 penalty minutes and a +13.
In the 2018-19 season, Martin went to the SJHL for his final year of juniors, where he played for the Notre Dame Hounds. In 56 games with the Hounds, Martin registered nine goals and 27 assists for 36 points with 124 penalty minutes. While with the Hounds, Martin was selected for the AJHL All-Star Game.
After completing his junior career, Martin made the jump to Division III collegiate hockey in the US at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Martin spent four seasons at Superior playing in a total of 94 games, registering six goals and 31 assists for 37 points with 88 penalty minutes.
Professional Career
After completing four years of collegiate hockey, Martin opted not to stay for a fifth year and signed in the ECHL with the Rapid City Rush to finish off his 2022-23 season. In the short time Martin spent with the Rush in the 2022-23 season, he played in 19 games where he had one goal and eight assists for nine points with ten penalty minutes and a +4. Martin then re-signed with the Rush in the 2023-24 season, before getting his first AHL contract with the Calgary Wranglers in the 2024-25 season. Martin still spent about half of the 2024-25 season in the ECHL with the Rush.
In his three seasons with the Rush, Martin played in 101 games where he had seven goals and 47 assists for 54 points with 72 penalty minutes and a -6. When Martin was with the Rush in the 2024-25 season, he was a part of the leadership group and wore an “A”.
In the 2024-25 season, Martin played in four games with the Wranglers, where he did not have any points or penalty minutes and had a -1.
Charles Martin is a pretty defensive defenseman, but he is able to use his speed to help create offense as well. His work ethic on the ice is second to none as he is always putting in 100% whether his team is up by five or down by five. When it comes to creating offense, Martin does not always find his name on the scoresheet, but he is able to create plays extremely well, whether it is forcing a turnover, blocking a shot, or making a cross-ice pass to spring a player on a breakaway.
The 2025-26 season will be Martin’s fourth season of professional hockey.
ITR 47: Then There Was Nothing – Inside The Rink
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