Franchise staple Daniel Martin returns to Winston Salem

Winston-Salem, NC – The Carolina Thunderbirds have re-signed forward Daniel Martin for the upcoming 2022-2023 season. The 26-year-old currently sits at 14th on the franchise’s all-time games-played list with 85, and 11th in franchise goals with 27.


“Danny is like a Swiss Army knife for us,” said Head Coach Garrett Rutledge. “Ask him to do anything and he’s all-hands-on-deck. Bringing his leadership and determination to win games for Carolina is a huge bonus for us.”


Martin is entering his third tour of duty with the Thunderbirds, following two seasons that were marked by consistency. In both the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 seasons, Martin tallied 34 points. In both seasons, he briefly suited up for SPHL action before returning to Carolina.


“I love the group of guys we have coming back,” said Martin. “Being a fan and a player and seeing what Garrett has put together is exciting. Fans should be excited this year.”


The Ottawa, Ontario native broke into the FPHL during the 2017-2018 season with the Cornwall Nationals, tallying 18 points in 31 games. After some roster shuffling, Martin found himself with the Danville Dashers later that year. The following season, he exploded at a point-per-game pace and scored 22 goals and 37 assists for 59 points in 59 games.


Currently, Martin sits just nine games shy of 200 in the Federal Prospects Hockey League. The only active Thunderbird with more total games in the FPHL is Jiri Pestuka at 279.


Martin and the Thunderbirds venture up to Port Huron to open the season on October 21st. Single game tickets to Carolina’s home opener on October 29th are currently on sale! Go to carolinathunderbirds.com for more information.