Buffalo Sabres Prospect Update: Brycen Martin

Brycen Martin meets his team after being drafted #74 by the Buffalo Sabres on Day Two of the 2014 NHL Draft at the Wells Fargo Center on June 28, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

June 27, 2014 – Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America

The Buffalo Sabres selected Brycen Martin in the 3rd round of the 2014 NHL hoping he would become a useful 7th defenseman who might possibly turn into something under the right guidance and tutelage.

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Through the first 30 games of his first season as a part of the Buffalo Sabres organization, that was how Martin played. Then Martin was traded at the WHL trade deadline to the Kamloops Blazers, until that trade was vetoed by the league and Swift Current wound up shipping him to Saskatoon.

At the time of the deal I felt quite bad for the kid. He looked like he was going to go to a playoff contender only to be traded to a basement team instead.

However, this did not faze Martin. After the Blades’ acquisition joined the team he started to produce like a top 4 defensive prospect, rattling off 4 goals and 16 assists in his first 16 games with the club.

Most Sabres fans looked at this as a pleasant surprise that his play would decline when the next season began. Add to that the Sabres selection of Prince Albert Raider Brendan Guhle with the 51st overall pick in the 2015 draft, and Brycen Martin has become somewhat of an afterthought.

Through development camp Martin went unnoticed. Except when he received an incredible dish from Jack Eichel to tap in the net.

So, going into this WHL season, little paid attention to whether Martin was going to consistently put up like he did at the end of last season.

He has.

With the Swift Current Broncos last year, Martin put up 2 goals and 14 assists through 39 games. This season Martin has 3 goals and 16 assists in 20 fewer games.

Brycen Martin has produced 8 goals and 33 assists in 49 games since being traded to the Saskatoon Blades.

Although the Saskatoon Blades continue to be a poor all around club, some of which can be attributed to Martin, Brycen Martin has found a way to flourish offensively.

It may sound like a joke, but Martin has improved his breakout passing which might be due to the increased time the Blades spend in their own zone. The Blades score many goals on the rush, part of which is due to great breakout passing from Martin and company on the back-end.

And the boosted experience in the defensive zone has boded well for the Martin. He has always had great composure in his own zone. He is able to get out puck out, most of the time, without any problems.

Martin has done a good job to keep his cool with the pressure added on after the Sabres went D-heavy in the 2015 NHL Draft. His production could help him become an acquisition for a playoff bound team this year.

Next: NHL Trade Rumors: Eriksson, Varlamov, Ducks

At the end of the year Martin is eligible to join the Sabres’ AHL team, the Rochester Americans like he did last year. Martin didn’t impress during the preseason and during development camp, so a solid handful of games with the Amerks could dismiss his outings during camp.