The Washington Stealth announced today that the team has agreed to a contract with Eric Martin that will have the defenseman back in Red & Black for the 2013 season, pending approval by the National Lacrosse League. Martin has spent all of his eight NLL seasons with the Stealth and has established himself as one of the team’s all-time greats.
Martin, 30, was originally drafted 12th overall by the Stealth in the 2004 NLL Entry Draft. Since then, the 6’2â€, 220-pound lefty has averaged over 13 points and 106 loose balls per season. Despite missing four games in 2012, Martin tallied 10 points (4g, 6a), the seventh-straight season in which he’s recorded 10+ points, and collected 66 loose balls.
“Eric has been a member of this organization since he broke into the league and we are all very happy to have him back for the coming season,†said Stealth General Manager Doug Locker. “He brings incredible athleticism and passion to our lineup and having him healthy heading into the year is a big boost for us out the back door.â€
A native of Norfolk, Va., Martin has entrenched himself in the Stealth record books over the last eight seasons. He is the team’s all-time loose balls leader with 848 in regular season play and 83 in 11 postseason games. He’s also the team’s all-time penalty minutes leader with 395 and also has the most points as a defenseman in team history with 108 (28g, 80a). His 114 career regular season games played ranks fourth all-time for the Stealth.
