The New York Islanders announced today that defenseman Radek Martinek and forward Justin Johnson have agreed to termson professional tryout contracts.
Martinek, 36, has appeared in 473 career National Hockey League games, including 466 with the Islanders. A native of Havlicko Brod, Czech Republic, Martinek has 25 goals and 82 assists for 107 career points. He’s also appeared in 11 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with the Islanders.
The Islanders selected Martinek in the eighth round (228th overall) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. The 6’2, 210-pound defenseman scored three goals in 13 regular season games last season with the Islanders, while also appearing in two playoff games during the Islanders’ Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Martinek played in four games last season in the Czech league with Ceske Budejovice, the same club with which he spent the 2004-05 lockout season and five professional campaigns from 1996-2001 prior to joining the Islanders. On the international stage, Martinek has represented the Czech Republic at three World Championships (2000, 2001, 2011).
Johnson, 32, signed a one-year deal with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers earlier this offseason. He spent the last three seasons with the American Hockey League’s Manchester Monarchs, scoring 11 points (four goals, seven assists) with 392 penalty minutes in 103 games.
A native of Anchorage, AK, Johnson appeared in 190 career ECHL games from 2005-2010 with the Alaska Aces, Idaho Steelheads, Utah Grizzlies and Cincinnati Cyclones. Johnson led the ECHL in penalty minutes in 2008-09 with 259. Prior to his professional career, he played four seasons of college hockey at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.
