Offseason roster building for the Jacksonville Icemen roster continues, as the team announced today that forward Craig Martin would be returning to the team for the 2023-24 season. Martin and the Icemen made a one-year deal official, bringing back the forward for a fifth season in the River City. Martin is the latest player to rejoin the Icemen locker room, adding his name to a list of player returns that keep growing for Jacksonville.
Originally signed to the Adirondack Thunder, Martin joined the Icemen roster during the 2019-20 season after being acquired in a trade that sent forward James Phelan to the Thunder in return. Making a quick impact with the team, Martin registered 21 (7g, 14a) points in his first 41 games with the Icemen. Now heading into his fifth season as a member of the Icemen roster, Martin has accumulated 130 games of additional experience in an Icemen uniform, putting him third on the list for most games played with the organization at 171. During the 2021-22 season, Martin collected 60 points in 66 games and won the honor of being named the league’s player of the month in December 2021. Last season he began the year playing for Slovakian club HC Presov. He scored four goals and added five assists in 20 games with the club before making his trek back across the pond to rejoin the Icemen. Once back in an Icemen uniform, Martin scored at a point-per-game pace, amassing 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points in 32 games.
In addition to his gratuitous amount of regular season experience with the team, Martin has also been one of the Icemen’s most consistent point scorers in the postseason. Through 17 playoff games, Martin has scored 17 points, including six goals and seven assists scored during last season’s Kelly Cup Playoff run.
Scoring 125 points in 171 games, the return of Martin to the Icemen line-up is the return of a truly lethal, versatile player. Perhaps one of the Icemen’s most consistent roster performers, Martin’s two-way game wreaks havoc on opponents. He’s not scared to get to the dirty areas of the ice and compete for pucks and is tenacious on the backcheck. Offensively, his scoring stats speak for themselves and serve as a testament to his ability to stay with the play and find scoring chances. Alongside other offensive bulldogs, such as Derek Lodermeier, Craig Martin provides the team with another dependable forward capable of producing points on either side of the puck. He’s consistent, he’s reliable, and his contributions should be warmly welcomed, yet again, on the Icemen’s scoresheet.
Craig Martin and the rest of the Icemen roster will be back in action when the season begins on October 21st.
