By Tyler Loch, Media Relations Intern
Just days after training camp concluded and the puck dropped on the 2024-2025 SPHL season, and the Rail Yard Dawgs began their push to return to contention for another President’s Cup title, an old friend suddenly was available to return home to Roanoke. Head coach Dan Bremner and assistant coach Nick DeVito knew that the steadying presence and constant energy of a veteran defenseman like Bryce Martin could provide a much-needed element to their team. Considering Martin would bring his bruising physicality and strong competitive edge, a wealth of knowledge from his time in the ECHL and professional leagues overseas, and a familiarity with the locker room and organization from prior stints, it was a no-brainer. Number 55 needed to be back in the blue and gold.
Martin’s journey with the Dawgs has been a long and winding road, spanning multiple leagues, cities, and even countries in between. Though the Dawgs captured their first-ever President’s Cup in the 2022-2023 season without him, Martin’s return to the team this season added a crucial veteran piece that has proven to pay dividends for the group as it marches its way toward what they hope will be another deep postseason run that ends with some hardware. As someone who has been in those moments before donning a Roanoke sweater, Martin has become a major key in Roanoke’s quest to rise to the top once more.
The Niagara Falls native would navigate his way through the ranks to Roanoke fairly early into his professional playing days. Martin’s decision to bypass college in favor of a more straightforward hockey career led him to Elmira in the FPHL early in the 2019-2020 season, and it wouldn’t take long for him to turn heads and earn his first SPHL call-up to Roanoke at the age of just 22.
Reflecting on his early days with the Dawgs, Martin recalls his excitement upon joining the team. “I was just really super excited to be here,” said Martin. “There was a lot about the organization, the ways things were run, and all the great things that come with being here that immediately made me feel happy with the Dawgs. So I was really just trying to work hard and earn my spot.”
As the season came to an early end due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Martin’s time with the team was cut short. Nevertheless, he was determined to come back when the dust settled from the pandemic, and he renewed his commitment to the Dawgs. Even when Roanoke was sidelined from the the 2020-2021 SPHL season along with half of the league’s teams, Martin was able to hone his craft by returning to Elmira and teaming up with several other future (Sean and Steven Leonard) and former (Tyler Gjurich, Kyle Gonzalez, Marcus Ortiz, Paul Fregeau) Rail Yard Dawgs players.
When he returned to Roanoke alongside roughly a dozen other players that had previously suited up for the Dawgs, his play quickly earned him opportunities to continue climbing the pro ladder. His physical style of play was in his blood long before he joined the Dawgs, but it blossomed into a true strength during that first season back from the pandemic for Roanoke.
“My first season here, that (2021-2022) team was so physical,” said media manager/broadcaster Mitch Stewart. “Bryce was the youngest guy on that team, but you could tell he had built great relationships with some of the veterans of that group – Travis Armstrong, Brant Sherwood, Jeff Jones – those were some tough guys among several others from that team. Bryce fit right in with that gritty, physical, ‘in your face’ style of play that those guys deployed, and it was apparent that the players down in the room were huge fans of him on and off the ice.”
As Bryce’s career progressed throughout that season, he enjoyed a 27-game stint up in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays through most of the season. It marked the first of many call-ups at higher levels for the five-foot-eleven defenseman. His time in the ECHL not only helped his game, but the added experience also helped him to grow into a rising leader when he returned to the veteran-laden Dawgs that were getting hot at the right time late in that regular season. Despite Roanoke finishing eighth in the regular season standings, the Dawgs ripped past the top-seeded Knoxville Ice Bears, who had the most single-season wins in SPHL history that year with 42 victories, and a sweep of the second-seeded Huntsville Havoc. That brought Roanoke to the league’s President’s Cup Final for the first time in franchise history, and even though the run ended as runners-up to the Peoria Rivermen, the potential shown by up-and-coming stars such as Martin helped lay the foundation for the success that Roanoke has found in the last few seasons.
“You had Armstrong, Jones, Sherwood… then there were established players like Mac Jansen, Josh Nenadal, CJ Stubbs, Matt O’Dea, and Austyn Roudebush that were starting to ascend early on in their careers,” Stewart explained. “But having so many of the newer arrivals like Martin, Nick DeVito, Nick Ford, and C.J. Valerian make such a big impact that year, and then continuing to provide that for this group three seasons later? It adds an additional layer to that aforementioned core leadership group to help make the room even stronger. It’s a crucial reason why the culture has become so unique with the players here in Roanoke.”
By the time the Dawgs won their first President’s Cup in the 2022-2023 season, Martin had been a big part of the team’s defensive core. But after he was called up by the Adirondack Thunder to the ECHL that February, he wouldn’t be on the ice to see Roanoke win it all. While he was battling through the ECHL’s Kelly Cup Playoffs with another fellow Dawg, Travis Broughman, for the Thunder, he was beaming with pride when he watched his old teammate Jansen score the Cup-clinching goal against Birmingham in the 2023 President’s Cup Final.
“The joy we had when the team won it all… it was like we were on the ice still with the team,” Martin said, reminiscing about watching the historic win with Broughman, whom he roomed with in Adirondack. “We celebrated in our living room in Adirondack like we were right there. I mean, we were legitimately jumping up and down in our living room, screaming!” Martin chuckled.
Martin spent the 2023-2024 season away from Roanoke, starting the season back in the ECHL before playing over in Finland (Mestis) to end the year. As the team looks to bounce back from an exit to Huntsville in the 2024 President’s Cup semifinals, Bryce’s return to the Dawgs has proved to be an excellent move for all parties involved. Outside of being sidelined for over a month with an illness, Martin has otherwise had his best season with the Dawgs – with a perfect blend of offensive production (five goals and 18 assists), that chip on his shoulder that is better left unbothered from an opponent’s perspective (team-high 98 penalty minutes, plus two fights), and a defensive savviness (plus-nine rating while on the ice) that have been a constant for Roanoke’s defensemen group.
While the ability to capitalize on his experience and work ethic has allowed him to elevate his game, it’s still the mentality of Martin that strikes head coach Dan Bremner. “Marty is a guy who came in and brought a lot of the things we wanted from day one as far as his physicality,” Bremner said. “His confidence and overall game, the way he looks to build and facilitate our play out of the back, and that toughness that he brings is the whole package for us.”
One of Martin’s most notable qualities is his ability to bring the team together. His leadership extends beyond his performance on the ice — Martin is one of the backbone players in the locker room – a player who keeps spirits high among teammates.
“Marty’s (Bryce) a great guy, someone you could call a glue-guy in that sense,” Bremner said. “He talks to everyone and isn’t very cliquey. He leads, he goes out to the best of his abilities through his work daily, and is just a warrior on the ice, always. When you have a guy like that, it’s easy to follow.”
“Marty has helped me in a ton of ways… I almost can’t even explain how much he’s helped me,” said rookie defenseman Cory Doney back in February. “He’s boosted my confidence, helped me in the gym, helped me learn and adjust to different things as defensemen on the ice. Bryce is a true pro.”
Doney has lived with Martin since back in October, a tenure that he says he wouldn’t trade for anything. “Marty is an all-around character, and he just keeps the vibes right in our place and with the whole group,” Doney said. “It’s what I needed coming into the team, absolutely.”
It’s not just the newer arrivals that have taken notice. Defenseman C.J Valerian, who has played alongside Martin since late in that 2021-2022 season, has witnessed firsthand the growth and impact of his fellow blue-liner. “He’s been working on his game and improving his craft over the years, whether he’s been in this league or elsewhere,” Valerian said. “Every day he’s trying to add skills to his game, and he’s a gamer. You know what type of intensity he’s going to bring once it’s time to go.”
Valerian also described the bond between the defensemen, with the position group stacked with experienced players. Martin has been here since before the pandemic, Valerian since February 2022. Stephen Alvo and Brendan Pepe came into the fold in October 2022, and Billy Roche and Johnny Macdonald both debuted in that 2022-2023 season before becoming mainstays for the team since the start of the 2023-2024 campaign. Add in alternate captain and long-time star Matt O’Dea, who is a former All-SPHL defenseman currently playing at forward, Doney, who has developed very well throughout his rookie season thanks to the help of his roommate, and Jake Stevens, a recent arrival with 70 games of ECHL experience, and this group has plenty of talent and experience to tap into.
“The D-core is really close, and that bond translates to on the ice,” Valerian said. “Off the ice, Marty is a voice in the locker room. It’s easy to see why a lot of the young guys and rookies look up to him.”
Beyond his contributions on the ice, Martin has garnered plenty of adoration and respect both for and from the Roanoke fanbase. It’s a relationship of support that the 28-year-old doesn’t take for granted.
“Man, they are nuts. They’re awesome,” Martin said with a laugh when asked about the fanbase. “Roanoke fans really are the best. They’re here to support us all the time, and you see it on that Friday night on Mardi Gras Night (February 28) or that Saturday night game as well (March 1) with the back-to-back sellout crowds. They are such supportive, great people. You can talk to them outside the rink, and can tell that they all just want the best for us players. They love their Dawgs.”
It’s this kind of support that adds some extra fuel to an already fiery player like Martin, as he aspires to bring another championship to Roanoke. After watching the Cup be lifted by his teammates in Roanoke from his couch in New York, he has a unique understanding of what that would mean to the city, the organization, the fans, and of course, the players. Only this time around, Martin would be on the ice to lift the trophy himself.
While Martin remains focused on the present and his goal to bring another championship to the Dawgs, he also has an eye on his future. He hopes to stay involved in hockey long after he hangs up his skates as a player.
“In the future, I hope to stay inside the hockey field, whether it ends up being behind the scenes or by coaching,” Martin said. “Anything that can keep me involved in hockey would be the ultimate goal, so I’m hoping that comes to fruition.”
For now, Martin’s eyes are locked on helping the Rail Yard Dawgs get back over the hump and to return the franchise to championship status. With his experience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to the team, he’s proving to be a vital piece in Roanoke’s championship puzzle. Whether he’s throwing big hits on the ice, mentoring younger teammates, or rallying the locker room, Bryce Martin embodies the heart and soul of what it means to be a Rail Yard Dawg.
“Just the excitement that we had for all those guys in that room was like next level,” Martin had continued saying when remembering the moment he and Broughman watched the Dawgs win the 2023 President’s Cup. “What we felt for the coaching staff as well, and really everyone else involved in the organization and the fanbase. It was honestly an incredible moment, I’m still so happy for those guys,” Martin said back in February, pausing to collect his thoughts.
“Now, we have to find a way to do it again this year.”
Featured Image Credit: Keith Lucas