Martin Hanzal

Martin Hanzal born February 20, 1987) is a Czech professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Drafted by the Coyotes organization in the first round (17th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Martin also serves as an alternate captain for Arizona.

Amateur
Martin was the Phoenix Coyotes' first round draft pick, 17th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft from hometown team HC České Budějovice.

He then moved to North America to play for the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in the 2005–06 season. In 19 games while playing with Omaha, he scored 19 points, and in five playoff games, he had one goal.

MArtin then played major junior hockey during the 2006–07 season with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League (WHL) after being acquired from the Chilliwack Bruins before even playing a game with the latter. He led the Rebels in scoring with 85 points in 60 games.

Professional
Martin made his professional debut with the Coyotes in the 2007–08 season. He finished with eight goals and 35 points on the season, placing him sixth in team scoring. He also ranked ninth among NHL rookies in both points and assists.

On December 4, 2008, he scored his first career hat-trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs in only 20:27 of play time, setting the record for the fastest hat-trick recorded in Coyotes history.

On 8 October 2011, Martin was named an alternate captain for the Coyotes.

On April 12, 2012, Martin scored the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Chicago Blackhawks, giving the Coyotes a 3–2 victory and a 1–0 series lead.

His goal came from a redirect of a shot from the blueline by teammate Adrian Aucoin past Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford.

On 14 November 2014, during the 2014–15 season, Martin scored his second career hat trick in a 5–0 rout against the Vancouver Canucks; two of the goals were scored only nine seconds apart. His hat trick ended up being a natural hat trick, meaning all three of his goals were scored without the opposing team scoring.

Later in the season, on February 12, 2015, the Coyotes announced that Martin was to have season-ending back surgery.

International Play
In 2006 and 2007, Martin represented the Czech Republic at the IIHF World U20 Championship.

He played his first senior game for the Czechs at the 2008 World Championships and has played in four tournaments for the national team.