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NHL Draft: Dallas Stars select Chris Martenet 103rd Overall

The Dallas Stars have selected Chris Martenet from the London Knights in the OHL with the 103rd pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Chris Martenet is a huge physical defenseman from the OHL. He stands at 6-foot-7 in height.

Regular Season Team GP G A P +/- PIMs
2013-2014 Indiana Ice (USHL) 35 0 5 5 6 20
2014-2015 London Knights (OHL) 64 7 9 16 4 49
Post Season
2013-2014 Indiana Ice (USHL) 2 0 0 0 0 0
2014-2015 London Knights (OHL) 10 0 0 0 -3 2

Chris Martenet made the jump to the OHL last season and it was a bit of a trial by fire for him. He had to learn from his mistakes very quickly and he did so.

Though he is capable of destroying the opposition with his huge size he can also play tough down low as well. But that area is still something that he’ll have to sort out.

Despite being one of the tallest players in the draft he needs to physically bulk up. He should be bigger and stronger than he is at 6-foot-7, he’s only 198 pounds.

Unsurprisingly for a giant he isn’t the best skater and he was regularly burnt by onrushing forwards. He does good work with his long reach to keep the opposition at bay but his skating is definitely not his greatest asset.

Positioning and hockey sense wise he has got it. He know where he has to be and knows how to make the right decision to keep the puck out of his own net. But his footwork lets him down.

Chris Martenet is a project pick who has some serious flaws in his game, predominantly his skating, that need to be resolved if he is to ever reach the NHL. He also doesn’t have much offensive upside.

If he were to reach the NHL level he’d project to be a stay at home defenseman.

It is an interesting pick and I’m not completely certain I see the logic of it in the fourth round. That is just my opinion however.

What do they say about him?

In Lou We Trust

His size alone makes him an intriguing prospect, but size can be overvalued in hockey. Martenet does possess some attractive qualities on the ice, namely his mobility and effective wing-span that allows him to cover a lot of ice efficiently. With that said, he is really raw and will be a project for any team that drafts him.

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