The Niverville Nighthawks, the newest team in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), have signed their first player. Eric Martin from Edmonton, Alberta was announced earlier in February as being the first player to sign a letter of intent with the club.
Martin has spent his last two seasons with the Pacific Coast Sea Devils U18 Prep Academy, which plays in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL). The young defenceman, born in 2004, has tallied three goals and seven assists in 22 games for the Sea Devils this season.
“I’m super pumped to sign with the Nighthawks,” says Martin. “The coaches and management made it a very easy decision to become the first Nighthawk in team history.”
Newly appointed general manager and head coach Kelvin Cech has been busy out in British Columbia looking to build the first key pieces of the team’s inaugural roster.
“Eric is a phenomenal young man. The first thing he did was to ask to get the phone numbers of new recruits so he can get them all communicating,” says Cech. “He’s a good player, a modern defenceman. It’s the little things off the ice that really demonstrate his character. Most of the guys won’t know each other, but with people like Eric, it won’t take long. We are thrilled to have him.”
Martin’s current club is focused on the last stretch of the CSSHL season.
“We are very excited and happy for Eric,” says Jason Becker, head coach of the Sea Devils. “Two years ago, Eric and his family made a decision to attend [Pacific Coast Hockey Academy] and we were very excited to get a player of this calibre. He’s been a great example of a student athlete, has become a leader in the program, and we are very proud to see that his hard work and resiliency have paid off. We are definitely looking forward to seeing Eric in a Nighthawk uniform.”
