Martin celebrates being picked by Predators with NHL Draft party on family farm

ELORA, Ontario -- Late Thursday night, while many of the NHL’s top draft prospects were enjoying the bright lights and glamour that is Los Angeles before the biggest day of their respective lives, Brady Martin was out in the darkness rounding up cows.

His cows.

Somehow they’d escaped the perimeters of the family farm here and taken residence on one of the adjoining roads, hardly an ideal location for cattle.

Or, for that matter, commuters driving through the southern Ontario night.

“It’s what you do,” the 18-year-old said Friday, moments after having been drafted into the NHL. “When issues like that come up on the farm, you go with the flow.

“It’s what we do. It’s who we are. It’s who I am.”

And after the biggest day of his life, what Brady Martin is now is a member of the Nashville Predators.

“It’s hard to believe,” he said, shaking his head. “For someone who loves living on the farm, loves living in the country, loves country music, to be going to the home of country music, well …”

Consider it the perfect match, given Martin’s story.

He grew up in the lush countryside about 20 miles north of the city of Waterloo on the family farm, where getting up to milk cows, feed chickens and rake up manure at 6 a.m. has always been in his blood. He loved hockey, sure, but admits he didn’t start taking it seriously until he was 15. Whatever happened with hockey, he said, he would always return to farm life.

As such, when the invites came for the top prospects to attend the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft in person at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater, the Martins decided they’d rather celebrate Brady’s big day at the farm with family and friends.

Sure enough, at the Martin home there were chairs outside for about 100 people, including ones designated for his agent, Cam Stewart, and his fitness guru, Matt Nichol. Coffee was served on a table at the back of a pickup truck. Cold bottles of water could be found in the shovel of a nearby tractor.

But the best was yet to come.

In front of the seated guests on the beautifully manicured lawn beside the house was a big-screen TV that was secured to the shovel of a giant tractor. Beyond it was a beautiful pond -- complete with inflatable swans -- and fields in which those same ornery cows from the night before could be seen grazing.

“This is where I want to be,” Brady said. “With the people who were there with me on this journey.”

Sitting in the front row between mom Sheryl and dad Terry, Brady watched intently as the first four picks went off the board. Each time a player was selected, the crowd applauded.

Martin had 72 points (33 goals, 39 assists), eight power-play goals and three short-handed goals in 57 games with Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League this season. Just as important: He was voted Hardest Worker in the Western Conference in the OHL coaches' poll, one of the reasons the center, who was No. 11 among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings, was said to be rocketing up the draft boards of many teams.

In their final mock draft for NHL.com, esteemed colleagues Mike Morreale and Adam Kimelman had him going No. 9 to the Buffalo Sabres. Some of Brady’s family and friends figured he could go as high as No. 6 to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Predators had other ideas.

With Nashville on the clock at No. 5, the skies began to darken. Storm clouds began rolling in. If he wasn’t selected in the next few picks, Mother Nature might very well rain on Brady’s parade.

Nashville made sure that didn’t happen.

With the crowd watching the screen, Hall of Fame defenseman Shea Weber came on to deliver the Predators pick.

“From the Soo …”

The throng busted out into a huge cheer before Weber could even finish his words. Brady fought back the tears as he hugged his parents.

“The second [Weber] said ‘Soo,’ I knew. And it was surreal,” Brady said. “I mean, I was asking myself, ‘What is going on? What is happening?’”

Moments later, his phone rang. It was Nashville general manager Barry Trotz.

“Hey ‘Trotzie,’ what’s going on?” Brady said to his new boss. “Thanks for taking a chance on me.”

“No chance taken,” Trotz replied. “We know we’re getting a great person and a great player.”

Brady has never been to Nashville. He said he has a cowboy hat “but I don’t have it with me right now.”

As his loved ones formed a type of receiving line to congratulate him, NHL.com reached out to Predators forward Steven Stamkos, the future Hockey Hall of Famer who was at a family function in Kelowna. When the phone was handed to Brady and he found out who was on the other end, the awestruck player’s smile resembled that of a little kid seeing the collection of presents under the tree on Christmas morning.

“Welcome to the team and the NHL,” Stamkos told him. “You are going to love Nashville. I’ve heard how much of a hard worker you are.

“I’m excited to meet you and get on the ice.”

The feeling is mutual.

“I mean, it’s ‘Stammer,’” Brady said. “What can you say?

“It’s going to be awesome.”

With that, he had to race inside to do a Zoom session with reporters in Nashville. Just in time, too. The skies had opened up, and it was starting to rain.

As for all the friends and family, no matter. The Martins moved everyone to a huge barn, where a feast awaited them while they watched the remainder of the first round.

Looking at the jubilant scene inside, one thing was clear: This was as far away from an L.A. vibe as you could get.

On this, the most memorable of occasions for Brady and his entourage, they wouldn’t have had it any other way in any other setting. And rightfully so.

Because this farm is their happy place.

Even when those darn cows do escape onto the road.