Martin an NHL 1st rounder
Nashville Predators have made hard working Soo Greyhounds forward Brady Martin a first round draft selection. Nashville took the 2007 birth year skater with the fifth overall pick of the 2025 National Hockey League draft.
Being a first round pick is not a new experience for Martin, who was taken third overall by the Greyhounds in the first round of 2023 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
Since then, Martin has grown into a true 200 foot, all around threat. He finished the ’24-’25 OHL regular season with career high totals of 33 goals, 39 assists, 72 points in 57 games, while racking up 68 penalty minutes. The 6 foot, 175 pound Martin then added two goals, two assists, four points in five playoff games for the Greyhounds, who were ousted in the first round by the Windsor Spitfires.
Martin has come by his workmanlike ethic almost naturally. The road to becoming one of the most feared physical forwards for the 2025 NHL Draft did not begin in a high performance gym or an elite, big city skills facility for Martin – rather it all started in a barn in the small town of Elmira, Ontario.
Born and raised on a 1,000-acre farm that his family owns and operates, Martin’s development was anything but conventional. His early training included rollerblading through barns, shooting pucks in the basement, building a backyard rink and climbing ropes that hung from trees.
“His hockey has looked different than most kids’ hockey,” said his mother, Sheryl Martin. “We had to be very creative on the things that we did here (on the farm) because we weren’t able to drive into town for this and that. Time just didn’t allow it.”
To be sure, Martin’s humble beginnings helped to form the foundation for a power forward whose game blends physical dominance with high-end skill.
Martin has drawn comparisons to current Florida Panthers, Stanley Cup champion forward Sam Bennett, who can change the pace of a game with grit, skill and relentless forechecking.
“I think I am just a power forward,” Martin said. “I am always there, being physical and using my hands. My dad always told me hard work is the biggest thing, and good things will come if you’re working hard.
Martin has remained true to his farm roots, usually starting his off-season days with early morning farm chores.
“His work ethic is extremely high, his care factor is extremely high,” Greyhounds head coach John Dean said of Martin. “And those are two things which he naturally comes by from his farm upbringing.”