Claimed: Martinov Reportedly Struggling Under New Role [1/2]

[Guest daBenchwarmer]

New Addition Emil Martinov Reportedly Struggling Under New Role with the Wild

Despite being hyped up as a stalwart defensive presence, Martinov has been anything but, having difficulties adjusting to a more expanded role for himself.

 

When Emil Martinov had been drafted, many VHLM scouts had been praising his ability to adapt to a new style of hockey and to keep up in the plays. Additionally, he was supposed to be a rock hard stud on the Wild's blueline. He's big, strong, skates well and possesses a small offensive touch despite his defense-first mindset. Regardless of everything, Martinov has still been a disappointment regardless.

 

It's not just his on-ice performance, but his attitude off of it. There have been reports of Martinov skipping team practices for other activities such as dinners, movies and anything non-hockey related when the team needs him. Not to mention on the ice Martinov is seemingly a wreck despite his good numbers. He doesn't pass the eye test at all, and looks to be struggling underneath the weight of playing as the Wild's #1 defensive defenseman. With 2 games already played and Martinov's numbers looking fairly decent, there still could be hope for Martinov's poor performance. Whether if it is simply himself or a much bigger problem, there's promise that Martinov will clean up his act and push to help Saskatoon become a contender for the VHLM Championships.

 

"It's been difficult going from playing 15 minutes a game to 25 minutes a game." Martinov said after this morning's practice. "It's hard on the body, it's hard on the mind and it's incredibly taxing and difficult to adapt to. Not only are you going from playing somewhat easy minutes to difficult minutes, but you're trying to shutdown some of the best players in the VHLM plus some VHL team's top prospect. These guys are easily years ahead of me in terms of being able to play hockey. I'll have difficulty playing, yeah, that's what you guys want me to say right? But I'm dedicated 100% to this team, so you can't just crucify me after two bad games, come on."

 

Yes, Martinov has been playing against much more difficult competition than he was used to with the Las Vegas Aces. Yes, he's been relied upon to generate both offence and to shutdown some pretty solid VHLM stars. However, his off ice performance coupled with his lack of a solid #1 performance is inexcusable. Despite all of this, should Martinov remain the #1 defenseman of the Saskatoon Wild? That will be the decision of management, but if it were the decision of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Martinov would've been dropped down to the 2nd Pairing by now.

 

Can we rely on Martinov to help propel the Saskatoon Wild into championship contention? Or will he just be another footnote in the Wild's history, as a seemingly great player who just could not crack it in North America?

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

Review

Nice to read about your thoughts about your player. Just stick with it buddy. Martinov will turn out and be one of the best defenseman in the VHLM this season with some practice. Hope to read some more about your player in the future.