Why Emil Martinov Is Redefining Defensive Defensemen

[Guest daBenchwarmer]

Why Emil Martinov Is Redefining Defensive Defensemen

Written By: Caleb Gregory

 

If you've been paying any sort of attention to the Saskatoon Wild this past season, you'll notice a couple of things. First of all, they're playing their minds out right now, with a record of 34-15-9 the Wild are only 3rd in the VHLM (despite having the same record as the Ottawa Lynx, the Wild have less ROW and one more GP than Ottawa). However, it's been mostly on the backs of their two pinnacle and key defensemen: Ay Ay Ron and Emil Martinov.

 

To call Martinov a defenseman, is putting it lightly. Even though he's been shutting down the opposition's toughest opponents in a 2nd Pairing & 3rd Pairing role, he's been also an offensive force for the Wild, notching 48 points in 58 games, most of these points being on the powerplay. However, Martinov's ability to move the puck well has been a welcomed presence for the Wild, as having defensemen who can both play hard on defense while putting up points is a commodity in today's leagues. Not to mention, Martinov is able to keep up with the play while

putting his body on the line.