Veteran Defenseman Brings Valuable Experience to Blackhawks

Free agent pickup Alec Martinez is looking forward to mentoring a young Chicago Blackhawks roster.

Jon Alfano | Jul 5, 2024

Feb 20, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez (23) warms up before a game against the Nashville Predators at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Alec Martinez has been competing for Stanley Cups for nearly his entire career - and with three of them under his belt, two with the Los Angeles Kings and one with the Vegas Golden Knights - he's done quite well for himself.

Now, though, Martinez, who turns 37 later this month, is heading in a different direction. Earlier this week, the veteran defenseman signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, a team in the midst of a deep rebuild.

That's not a bad thing for Martinez, though. In fact, he's looking forward to this new chapter of his career.

“First and foremost, with the things that Kyle (Davidson, Blackhawks general manager) did just a few days ago and the roster, what he’s added, I’m pretty excited,” Martinez said Wednesday, per NHL.com. “You see some of the names and guys and pedigree, the hockey world’s fairly small, so the quality of human being, caliber, in that way, I’m pretty excited. I think we’re going to be pretty good, too.”

Martinez isn't the only veteran to sign in Chicago this week. Fellow defenseman T.J. Brodie, as well as forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Pat Maroon and Craig Smith all took their talents to the Windy City early in free agency.

The Blackhawks' vision for these veterans is clear: valuable mentorship for the many young players on the roster. For Martinez, taking young defensemen like 22-year-old Alex Vlasic and 19-year-old Kevin Korchinski is an exciting prospect.

“I’ve been fortunate in my career to learn from some special players and people, and I’d be the first to tell you I don’t know everything by any means,” Martinez said. “But I have some experience of playing in big-time games at the United Center, and playing in the playoffs and I’d like to think to a certain extent I know what it takes to win.”

Last season, Martinez played in 55 games for the Golden Knights, scoring four goals and 13 assists for 17 points. He also averaged 19:03 of ice time, proving he can still play quality minutes even in the latter stages of his career.

Martinez' play on the ice will help the Blackhawks take another step forward, but his mentorship will be even more important.

“I had some really good meetings with Kyle and talked to a few of the guys. From the get-go of when we started talking, I felt this was a place I would want to be,” he said. “It’s definitely a situation I was intrigued by and grew into a situation I wanted to be a part of. I’m excited to be a part of it, too.”

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Published Jul 5, 2024

JON ALFANO