Martin Kariya
| Martin Kariya | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
October 5, 1981 Vancouver, BC, CAN |
||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
|
NLA team Former teams |
HC Ambri-Piotta SCL Tigers AHL Portland Pirates Bridgeport Sound Tigers Peoria Rivermen SM-l Espoo Blues KHL Dinamo Riga |
||
| National team |
 Canada
|
||
| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2003–present | ||
Martin Tetsuya Kariya (born October 5, 1981 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a professional ice hockey right winger. He is the younger brother of former NHL left winger Paul Kariya.
Kariya had a standout NCAA college hockey career at the University of Maine from 1999 to 2003 while earning a degree in Mathematics. During his four years at the University of Maine, the team made 2 Frozen Four appearances. In Martin's junior college season the Black Bears reached the 2001–02 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship final game where they suffered a disappointing 4-3 OT loss to the University of Minnesota. Martin was the captain of the team in his senior year and was also the top scorer with 50 points in 39 games. Martin was awarded the Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award and named to Hockey East First All-Star Team. He finished his Black Bear career 11th in all-time scoring with 155 points and was subsequently named in Maine's All Decade Team.
Kariya's outstanding college hockey career caught the attention of the Portland Pirates of the AHL, who offered him a contract to join their team for the 2002–03 playoffs. On July 22, 2003, Martin then signed with the New York Islanders affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for the 2003–04 season.
The 2004 NHL Lockout was a bump in the road for Kariya. Rather than waiting for the NHL season to resume, Martin headed to Japan to play for the Nikko IceBucks in the Asian Hockey League where he was a favorite with Japanese hockey fans. Next he played in Fredrikstad Norway for Stjernen HC and recorded 52 points in 39 games. This caught the attention of hockey scouts from Europe's top leagues and led to Martin signing with the Espoo Blues of the Finnish SM-liiga for the 2006-2007 season. Martin's speed and skill helped him to dominate the Finnish league. He was the top scorer with 61 points in 51 games and was considered arguably the best forward in the league.
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