Spencer Martin

Spencer Martin was called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack to back up Dylan Garand at Madison Square Garden on October 12, 2026 — the day after Igor Shesterkin was ruled out for the season with a knee injury requiring surgery ^[1]. That moment, arriving as the 31-year-old Oakville, Ontario native suited up for his sixth NHL organization, captured something of the arc Martin has traveled since Colorado selected him in the third round, second pick, of the 2013 NHL Draft.

Martin played his junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with the Mississauga Steelheads, appearing in 15 games with St. Michael's in 2011-12 before moving to Mississauga for three full seasons. In 2013-14 he appeared in 64 regular-season games — a workload rarely seen at the junior level — going 24-33 with a 3.54 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage, adding three shutouts. The following season he posted a .921 save percentage in 31 games with Mississauga. He also suited up for Canada at the World Junior A Challenge in 2015-16, going 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA in two appearances.

His professional path began in 2015-16, split between the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL and the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. With San Antonio that year he posted a .921 save percentage over 18 games with three shutouts. The 2016-17 season brought his first NHL action — three games with the Colorado Avalanche, going 0-2 with a 4.35 GAA — while spending the bulk of the year in San Antonio, appearing in 50 AHL games and posting a 2.90 GAA with a .904 save percentage and two shutouts. He remained with San Antonio in 2017-18 for 34 games, then shifted to the Colorado Eagles in 2018-19 for 23 games, producing three shutouts and a .902 save percentage.

Tampa Bay's farm system brought Martin to the Syracuse Crunch, where he played 33 games in 2019-20 — supplemented briefly by four games with the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL — and then 15 more with Syracuse in the shortened 2020-21 season, posting a .907 save percentage. By that point he had logged over 200 professional games without another NHL opportunity.

That changed in 2021-22 with the Vancouver Canucks. Martin spent the regular season with the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, going 19-4 with a 2.43 GAA, a .914 save percentage, and three shutouts in 25 games. When he was called up to the NHL, he went 3-0 in six starts with a 1.74 GAA and a .950 save percentage. InGoal Radio Episode 153, recorded in January 2022, features Martin discussing his journey ^[2].

His 2022-23 NHL season was his busiest to date: 29 games with Vancouver, going 11-15 with a 3.99 GAA and a .871 save percentage. He split the year with Abbotsford, where he posted a 2.43 GAA and .916 save percentage in 16 regular-season games and added a shutout in four AHL playoff appearances.

During the Canucks' 2022 summer training sessions, Martin worked with then-goaltending development coach Curtis Sanford on post entries, exits, and reverse net-play situations ^[3]. Martin also worked alongside Arturs Silovs and Canucks goalie development coach Marko Torenius in a power play drill that focused on post-entry technique and patience on cross-crease reads ^[4]. In that session, Martin described his technical focus: "Just making sure the anchor foot doesn't over swing into the net and then swinging it out after as a result, because that loses time. I don't want it to swing into the white and lose a step. If you can anchor it without doing that, like right to the spot you want instead of going too flat and then coming back, that's what I want. Get there right away and then stay." ^[4] Both drill breakdowns are available to InGoal subscribers.

After his time in Vancouver, Martin signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets organization and appeared in 13 NHL games in 2023-24, going 3-8 with a 3.65 GAA and a .887 save percentage. Mid-season he moved to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he went 4-1 in six NHL games with a 2.63 GAA and a .896 save percentage to close the year. He returned to Carolina for 2024-25, making nine NHL appearances (3-4, 3.89 GAA, .846 save percentage, one shutout) while posting one of the strongest seasons of his AHL career with the Chicago Wolves: 20 wins in 31 regular-season games, a 2.34 GAA, a .909 save percentage, and three shutouts.

Heading into 2025-26, Martin signed with the New York Rangers and was assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack. He has appeared in six NHL games with the Rangers, going 1-3 with a 4.13 GAA and a .864 save percentage. Across 72 NHL games with six organizations — Colorado, Vancouver, Columbus, Carolina, and now New York — he has accumulated 25 wins and one shutout. His AHL record spans more than 260 games across six affiliates over more than a decade of professional play.

InGoal Magazine has covered Spencer Martin in one podcast appearance, two drill breakdowns, and one InGoal article.