Thunder notes: League change reinforced Andrew Martens’ decision to retire

The Thunder mostly celebrated its inclusion into the ECHL this month after 22 years in the now-defunct Central Hockey League.

There was some sadness, though, because it led to the retirement of its captain and one of Wichita’s most identifiable players, defenseman Andrew Martens.

ECHL roster rules allow for four players classified as veterans – 260 or more professional games played – while the CHL allowed six veterans, categorized with 300 games or more.

Martens may have found a spot on the Thunder’s roster as a veteran, but the precariousness of his future for this year and beyond prompted his decision, which the 33-year-old had been weighing since July.

“There was a lot of uncertainty with the league and what was happening, and it just created kind of a snowball effect,” Martens said. “That just led to my decision that maybe this was the right year to hang it up.”

Martens spent four seasons with the Thunder, shuttling between Wichita and the American Hockey League for 25 games in 2011-12 and one the previous year. He was one of the Thunder’s most versatile defensemen, boasting a plus-43 rating over 227 games.

Last season, Martens finished second among CHL defensemen with 50 points, and among Thunder defensemen he’s second in career points (172) and assists (129) and third with 43 goals.

He probably wouldn’t have been overmatched by the ECHL, where he spent five of his first six seasons, and a potential pairing with Theo Peckham, a former NHL defenseman who has replaced Martens as captain, could have been intriguing.

Instead, Martens has returned to Minnesota for a job outside of hockey.

“I didn’t take this decision lightly, and it wasn’t a decision that was a spur-of-the-moment decision by any means,” Martens said. “It’s something that I definitely thought about. I just want to make sure that people know that it’s definitely tough to be in my situation, and that it was a tough decision.”

Lowe turns the page – Thunder forward Ian Lowe, who attended the same college as Martens, missed 11 games at the beginning of last season. It’s hardly an exorbitant total, especially for the 5-foot-9, 175-pounder who frequently navigates between physical defensemen.

Those 11 were enough to throw off Lowe’s rhythm, though, and with several other Wichita players injured at the same time, the Thunder started slowly and slogged through a 27-30-9 season.

Lowe played all 66 games for the Thunder in 2012-13 and was equally durable the year before in the AHL and ECHL.

“That was kind of the first time I’ve ever really been injured since college and since I’ve been playing pro,” Lowe said. “It was kind of tough for me. That was a tough start we had, we had a couple other injuries that really affected the start of the season, and I think it affected us later when we needed a few more wins.”

Lowe scored 34 points last year after scoring 59 the season before. His re-emergence could help the Thunder establish the scoring depth missing last season.

In 2012-13, the Thunder had six 50-point scorers and nine who tallied at least 37 points. Last season, only Martens and the departed Jon Booras reached 50 points. Wichita added scoring by acquiring Alex Bourret, Nikita Kashirsky and Kenton Miller this summer.

“From the looks of things, we’ve got some guys that can put the puck in the net,” Lowe said. “We’ve got two, even three lines that can and hopefully will contribute every night.”

Roster unrest – The Thunder’s regular-season roster was due to the ECHL last Wednesday, and the deadline has proved mostly pointless.

Wichita has made moves involving six players since then, and will need at least one more as goalie Tyler Bunz was reassigned to the AHL on Friday and Wichita added defenseman Dalton Reum.

Such may be the Thunder’s existence in the ECHL for the immediate future, kicking the tires on other teams’ castoffs and acquiring the services of players assigned or promoted by NHL organizations.

“Just trying to tinker with the roster,” McClelland said. “When you let a couple guys go, then (Martens) retires, you’re looking for a couple pieces. But I think it’s coming along well.”

This story was originally published October 24, 2014 at 7:09 PM with the headline "Thunder notes: League change reinforced Andrew Martens’ decision to retire."