Oh-qa-tanzin-wan (The Riley Martin Bio)

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Early Life

Riley Martin (born September 6^th, 2005) is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey right currently under contract to the Miami Marauders of the Victory Hockey League (VHL). Martin was born in Natchez Mississippi just a few months after his parents moved to the Mississippi town to work in the Natchez High School, where Martins father was starting a new role in the school as educator and football coach.

Growing up in Mississippi, Martin was always found with his dad in the locker-room of the Natchez Bulldogs, which ironically would do Martin wonders when he moved into hockey. After spending countless hours in the locker room as an audience member, Martin joined the football team in Grade Nine when he graduated from Elementary School and began his High School career. It was on a team trip to Biloxi Mississippi in Grade 9 that Martin first laid eyes on a hockey game, after the football team went to see the Mississippi Sea Wolves in their first years back as a franchise in 2022. Later that week, Martin approached his father with his request to quit the football team and search for a hockey team to join.

 

Playing Career

At 15 years old and with no previous skating experience, Martin went looking for his next opportunity in sports, this time on an ice surface. Martin turned his attention to the Mississippi Thunder Kings hockey program In Ontario Canada, who runs an Under-10 up to Under-18 program. After signing up for the Open Tryouts with no expectations, Martin made it past rookie camp into the main camp with the Thunder Kings. After cracking the main roster after all the rookie and training camps, Martin started the season on the team’s fourth line, where the coaches thought Martin would be best fitted to start his career in hockey, while learning on the go.  While his tenure with the U-14 Thunder Kings would only last one season, Martin accumulated 10 points in the 28 games he played in that season with the Mississippi Mills Ontario based hockey club.

 

The following season, after much deliberation on what to do next, Martin returned to Mississippi Ontario this time to try out for the U-16 Thunder Kings. With higher expectations than the previous year in camp, it appeared the pressure got to Martin, as he did not make the main roster out of training camp. Martin returned to his hometown in Natchez to return to his family and continue with his education back at Natchez High School. Martin continued to keep in contact with the Thunder Kings coaching staff throughout the season, and with injuries mounting for the team, they asked Martin to return to Ontario to re-start his hockey career. When Martin returned to the Thunder Kings, there were only 10 games remaining, but Martin was determined to match his point total from 28 games last season, and he did just that. In the 10 games played with the Thunder Kings, Martin was able to put up 21 points in those 10 games, which was enough to make sure the teams’ coaches took notice. After the season ended, the team extended the opportunity for Martin to return the following season.

 

At 17 years old, Martin returned to the Thunder Kings with the only expectation to make the team as a top six forward. With a year and a half of hockey under his belt, not only were Martins expectations higher, but the team and coaches alike also expected Martin to show better than he did the previous training camp. It seemed like being cut after last season’s training camp lit a fire under Martin, as he continued his strong play from his 16-year-old season into training camp and pre-season games. With his strong showing, Martin was told he would be making the main roster as the team moved into the regular season, Martin was also surprised by his teammates and coaches when he was announced as a member of the leadership team for the Thunder Kings, as Martin would be wearing the “A” on his sweater. It was an unexpected turn of events for Martin, just a year away from being cut the season prior. Martin paid management back for their vote of confidence in naming Martin a leader, with Martin putting up 49 points in the 28 games played. The Thunder Kings would also go onto to make the post-season where Martin would go onto put up another 10 points in the 12 playoff games that Martin and the Thunder Kings played in. After the conclusion of the season, Martin who was 17 years old was about to graduate from the Thunder Kings program, as Martin would be hitting 18 years of age prior to the start of the next season.

 

Martin has now switched his focus to the next stage of his hopefully professional hockey career, as Martin has recently declared for the Season Ninety-Two VHL Entry Draft in the Victory Hockey League. Only time will tell if Martin can continue his upward progression this time in the VHL.