Ding-Ding-Ding!
For many, such a sound might be reminiscent of Christmas bells, and for others, it could remind them of ringing in the new year in a few days.
For Nailers fans? Well, it’s likely a little different.
That’s because of the goal horn at WesBanco Arena is a thundering sound, and it’s when everyone is Nailers gear is cheering because Jordan Martel just scored. Again.
Those who listen to the radio and television broadcast know this event as a “J-Mart Red Light Special.”
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Slap Shots
Name: Jordan Martel Position: Forward Years as a Nailer: 2
Career Games: 142 Points: 137 Nickname: “J-Mart” or “Marty”
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Martel started his major junior hockey career by playing in the Québec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), commonly known as the “Q.” The Saguenay, Quebec native made the little over 300-kilometer track along the St. Lawerence River to Baie-Comeau. The Drakkar was the team that selected Martel in the eighth round of the QMJHL draft in 2015.
Martel’s first season in Baie-Comeau was the 2015-2016 season. Martel struggled a little bit his first season, registering only 18 points in 57 games, but the real kicker was he had a minus-32 rating and the Drakkar missed the playoffs.
Fortunately for Martel, those numbers would only improve from year one to year two. In 2016-2017, he would finish with 25 goals and 26 assists for 51 points in 68 games played. Those numbers made Martel second in scoring for the Drakkar as they made the playoffs. The fun was short-lived, however, as the Charlottetown Islanders swept Baie-Comeau in four games.
Martel would return to the Drakkar the next year and he had his best season yet in major junior. Martel finished first in scoring for the team with 77 points (39 goals, 38 assists) in 66 games played. That would be Martel’s career-best while playing for the Drakkar as they sneaked into the playoffs again. Baie-Comeau was eliminated in the first round, but this time in five games by the Halifax Mooseheads. Martel finished the series with a goal and an assist.
The 2018-2019 season would be the last season for Martel in major junior as he returned to Baie-Comeau for his fourth year. This time, Martel had some reinforcements as the Drakkar went on to win their division and secure a playoff spot yet again. One of his teammates in Baie-Comeau is currently one of his teammates on the Nailers, Chris Ortiz. Martel finished the regular season with 26 goals and 32 assists in 62 games. Unfortunately for Martel and the Drakkar, they were upset in the first round, losing in seven games to Moncton Wildcats. To add insult to injury, Baie-Comeau led the series three to two and lost games six and seven on home ice.
Martel decided to delay his professional career and get more seasoning by attending a Canadian university and he would spend three seasons playing at the University of Quebec Trois Rivieres.
Martel finished with 24 points in 28 games his first year, and in his second season, he never got off the ground – along with many sports during the 2020-2021 season due to the COVID-19 virus.
Martel’s last collegiate season saw him play in only 10 games, but Martel notched 10 points in that span.
Martel then turned pro during the backend of the 2021-2022 season, signing with the Fort Wayne Komets in the ECHL. The forward played in a couple of games that season but made the most of it. He made his professional debut on April 15, 2022, in a game in Wheeling and, although Martel was held off the scoresheet in that game, Martel scored his first professional goal the next game and had a three-point night against the Nailers. The Komets would make the Kelly Cup playoffs that season but Martel only saw action in two games of the series where the Nailers defeated the Komets in seven games.
The next season was Martel’s first full professional season. Still in Fort Wayne, he started slowly and didn’t see much playing time. Accounting for six assists in 13 games, the Komets traded Martel in mid-December to the Utah Grizzlies.
“I was stuck while I was in Fort Wayne,” Martel explained. “I wasn’t playing and was being scratched, so I asked to be traded.”
Martel would go on to excel the rest of that season in Utah. He scored 18 goals and tallied 26 assists for 44 points in 45 games, making Martel the third-leading scorer for the Grizzles that season. Utah would make the playoffs, sneaking in as the fourth seed in the Mountain Division, but after battling hard, the Grizzlies were eliminated in the first round by the Western Conference champion Idaho Steelheads in six games.
The next season, Martel had a good start for the Grizzles again. He had six goals and five assists in 16 games in Utah. Martel would be traded again, but this time to Wheeling. The Nailers at the time were a team struggling to score and needed a big-time weapon, so Wheeling traded for Martel in exchange for Quinn Wichers.
“It’s tough to get comfortable after being traded. It’s the hardest part. I had to ship my car to Wheeling from Utah,” said Martel. “I really like the coaching staff here and am excited to be here.”
Martel’s impact on the Nailers was felt immensely. In 45 games for Wheeling, he had 29 goals and 18 assists for 47 points, and he finished with a plus-26 rating, too. The forward was a major part of the Nailers making the playoffs, and during the postseason, he just kept scoring with five goals and eight assists in 9 postseason games for Wheeling.
Thankfully, Martel is back again in Wheeling this season, and he has continued to shine. So far, he’s registered eight goals and 18 assists for the Nailers in 21 games. That performance led to Martel’s first AHL call-up with the Chicago Wolves, where he scored two goals in his AHL debut.
The Nailers are back on home ice after the Holiday season with three home games. The first is Saturday, December 28th, against the Iowa Heartlanders. Bring your unwanted Christmas gift for a fun twist on a gift exchange for a 7:10 p.m. puck drop.
On Sunday, December 29th, the Heartlanders remain in town for a post-game skate with the odd-numbered players. Then, on Tuesday, December 31st, it is the annual New Year’s Eve game. This season, it is a Kids Neon New Year. There will be a glow stick/glow cup giveaway.
A postgame light show with sparking grape juice toast and a champagne bar for those 21 or older. For more information or tickets, call 304-234-GOAL or visit wheelingnailers.com
The Wheeling Nailers, considered one of the top things to do in Wheeling, West Virginia, provide affordable family entertainment for fans throughout the Upper Ohio Valley.
