Player's Profile
Picture Courtesy of the NHL
- Name: Martins Karsums
- Position: RW
- Shoots: Right
- Height: 5-10
- Weight: 192 lbs
- Birthdate: 1986-02-26
- Eligible for Draft: 2004
- Drafted:
- Hometown: Riga, Latvia
- Acquired: Trade with Boston, 2009
- Playing In: Pro
Martins Karsums
Prospect Grade: 6.5 C (About Prospect Grades)
Profile Contributed By: HF Staff
History
2002-03: Karsums first appeared on the radar of scouts with his appearances at the Division 1 U18 and U20 tournaments in 2002-03, representing Latvia. Karsums scored twice in the U18 tournament and showed another side of his game in the U20 event when he tallied 35 PIM in just 5 games.
2003-04: Unhappy with his limited play with Latvian club team Vilka Riga, Karsums elected to transfer to the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. He enjoyed a very good rookie season in Moncton, finishing in the top five of both team and league rookie scoring with 53 points (30 goals, 23 assists), and accumulated 76 penalty minutes on top of that. Karsums also dominated the U20 Div. 1 tournament, scoring 5 goals and adding 7 assists in five games. Drafted by the Boston Bruins in the second round of the 2004 NHL Draft, 64th overall.
2004-05: Karsums had problems with injury that limited his play with Moncton for the season, but he still managed to be productive. In 30 games he scored 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) and had 31 penalty minutes.
Karsums is also very popular among his teammates in Moncton. Early in the season the Wildcats were forced to deal one of their three Euros, as CHL rules only permit two per team. Management debated between moving Karsums or Alexei Shkotov and allegedly decided upon trying to trade Karsums. After spending only a few weeks with the team, reportedly the team rebelled against the decision and convinced management to keep the stocky Latvian.
2005-06: Rebounded from nagging ankle injury to help bring the Moncton Wildcats to the Memorial Cup tournament. Played in 49 regular season games, but contributed a total of 65 points (34 goals, 31 assists), with 16 of his goals coming on the power play. Karsums was also a member of Team Latvia in the 2006 IIHF U20 World Junior Championship, where he put up a total of six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in six games. Had a 26-point performance in 21 games during the 2006 QMJHL playoffs.
Karsums signed a three year contract with the Bruins during the summer of 2006.
2006-07: As a rookie in Providence, Karsums missed a good portion of the regular season with injury, which slowed his development. He tallied 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 54 games. Karsums' intense, gritty style of play has translated well to the pros, and with more experience, his numbers should improve as well.
2007-08: Stayed healthy the entire season and was a key contributor for Providence's offense. Finished second on the team in scoring behind Pascal Pelletier.
2008-09: Tradeed to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a deal that sent Mark Recchi to the Boston Bruins.
Read the 2006 Hockey's Future Q & A with Karsums.
Read this 2005 HF Article on Karsums
Talent Analysis
Karsums has good overall skill with his hockey sense and scoring instincts being his strongest assets. While he isn’t a speed demon, Karsums has good balance that makes him difficult to knock off the puck, one of the perks of being as wide as he is. His soft hands give him good puckhandling and passing skills, especially while moving. While neither his slapshot or wrist shot are overly powerful, his wrist shot has a very quick release that makes it seem faster than it is. He is only 5'10, but has a solid build and plays much bigger than his size. Karsums aggressively fights for loose pucks along the boards and shows no hesitation in using his body to make a play.
Future
There is no doubt that Karsums has the talent to be a very good second line winger in the NHL. The only question is if he will be able to overcome his size issues. Karsums is a very good bet to make the NHL at some level. If he is unable to perform as a top-six winger, his ability to be physical and strong skating should make him a checking line player.
Stats
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Profile Last Updated: July, 28th 2009
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