From the Grand Rapids Griffins:
GRIFFINS SIGN GOALTENDER JOEL MARTIN TO PTO
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Tuesday signed goaltender Joel Martin to a professional tryout.
Martin, 35, tallied a 22-21-5 record, a 3.13 goals against average and a 0.901 save percentage in 49 appearances with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings this season. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound netminder paced the league with 2,930 minutes. Martin’s 22 victories marked his fifth career 20-plus win season in the ECHL, which ties for the third-most in league history.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Martin has skated in 394 career ECHL games – which ranks third in league charts – since 2003-04, appearing with Columbus (2003-04), Trenton (2006-07), Elmira (2007-08), Augusta (2008-09) and Kalamazoo (2012-18). A nine-time ECHL Goaltender of the Week award winner, Martin’s 199 wins place fourth in ECHL history and his 22,962 minutes are good for second. He also holds the league record for most career 30-or-more win seasons with three, established from 2012-13 to 2014-16.
Martin’s last game action in the AHL came during the 2013-14 campaign when he showed a 0-2 record, a 3.03 GAA and a 0.897 save percentage in a pair of appearances with the Iowa Wild. He skated in a career high 18 games with Bridgeport in 2010-11 and posted a 2-12 mark. Martin has also suited up for Norfolk (2 GP in 2006-07), Syracuse (1 GP in 2006-07) and Cleveland (1 GP in 2005-06) and shows a career AHL record of 4-15-0 to go along with a 3.48 GAA and a 0.880 save percentage.
In his 15th season as a pro, Martin has also appeared in 67 games with Odessa in the CHL from 2003-04 and 2009-11, 114 combined games with Kalamazoo in the UHL from 2004-06 and the IHL in 2008-09, and 40 games with Herlev in Denmark during the 2011-12 season.
Second-seeded Grand Rapids will face third-seeded Manitoba in the best-of-five Central Division Semifinals. Game 1 is set for this Saturday at Manitoba.
Tickets for Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) of the division semifinals at Van Andel Arena are currently on sale and can be purchased at all Star Tickets locations, including The Zone, online through griffinshockey.com/tickets, by phone through Star Tickets at (800) 585-3737, or via the Griffins app for iPhone or Android.
