The Hurricanes acquired Martinook and a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Marcus Kruger (with Carolina retaining 10 percent of his salary) and a third-round pick in this summer's draft. The move adds depth and grit to the Hurricanes' forward group.
"I'm a work ethic-type guy. I come to work every day and try to push the pace in practice. I bring everything I can in the game," he said. "I want to come in and push people as much as I can."
Martinook tallied 11 goals and added 14 assists (25 points) in a career season in 2016-17. The 25-year-old's offensive production dipped in 2017-18 - six goals and nine assists in 81 games - but his game isn't necessarily about that.
"I'm not going to be the flashiest player. … I'm not going to be dipsy-doodling. I'm going to be hard-nosed in the corners trying to win every battle and lead by example that way," he said. "If I'm getting out-worked, I'm having a bad game."
A 6-foot, 204-pound winger, Martinook thrives getting in on the forecheck and retrieving pucks in the corners. He's a reliable penalty killer and ranked second amongst team forwards in 2017-18 with an average of 1:50 of shorthanded time-on-ice per game. And, he recorded his first career NHL fight on March 10, 2018, when Nathan MacKinnon challenged Martinook after he laid out Mikko Rantanen with a heavy and clean open-ice check.
"That was a good one," he said. "I feel like I'm a bigger body. Getting in on the forecheck is probably one of my biggest assets. Getting in, getting physical in the corners and trying to get pucks back, that's kind of been my role in the three years I've been playing. That's definitely something I pride myself on."
Martinook has three NHL seasons under his belt, only having faced his new squad six times in that stretch. He was impressed with what he saw, especially in the Canes' 6-5 victory over the Coyotes in Raleigh.
"I couldn't believe they weren't a playoff team with how fast they played," he said.
Though he's joining a new team for the first time in his NHL career - Martinook has been a member of the Coyotes organization since being drafted by them in the second round of 2012 - he's not stepping into a room full of entirely unfamiliar faces. He was teammates with Brock McGinn's brother, Jamie, in the 2016-17 season, and the two became "very good friends."
"Just through guys who I've played with, they've said nothing but good things about Staal. I know other guys who have played with Justin Williams and say he's an awesome guy. From a player's standpoint, I've heard nothing but good things," he said. "You look at Aho, Teravainen … the core up front, and Faulk and Hanifin on the back-end, it's definitely a very good core. I'm looking forward trying to help in any way I can."
How exactly Martinook fits in with the Hurricanes will be sorted out by a yet-to-be-named head coach come training camp in September, but his acquisition is an immediate upgrade to the team's depth and physicality.
"Wherever they want to play me, that's what I'll do," he said. "I'll do whatever it takes to help the team win and get back to the playoffs."
