{{short description|Canadian ice hockey player}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | image = Martin Houle.jpg | image_size = 230 px | caption = Houle with the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2008 | played_for = Philadelphia Flyers | position = Goaltender | catches = Left | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 11 | weight_lb = 170 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|2|12|mf=y}} | birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada | draft = 232nd overall | draft_year = 2004 | draft_team = Philadelphia Flyers | career_start = 2005 | career_end = 2011 }}
'''Martin G. Houle''' (born February 12, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers during the {{NHL Year|2006}} season.
==Playing career== As a youth, Houle played in the 1999 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Richelieu Éclaireurs minor ice hockey team.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf|title=Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA|year=2018|website=Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament|access-date=2019-02-13|archive-date=2019-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306085544/https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Houle played junior ice hockey for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2001 to 2005. He ended the 2003-04 season ranked second in the league with 34 wins and a 2.32 GAA.{{cn|date=February 2019}} He was awarded the Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy as the QMJHL goaltender of the year, named a QMJHL first-team all-star, and a Canadian Hockey League second-team all-star.{{cn|date=February 2019}} House was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers 232nd overall in the 2004 NHL entry draft.{{cn|date=February 2019}} He was named the QMJHL Defensive Player of the Year, and finished 7th in the QMJHL in wins (26) and 5th in GAA (2.51).{{cn|date=February 2019}}
Following his senior season in the QMJHL, he attended Flyers training camp, but was reassigned to the Trenton Titans of the ECHL at the close of the Philadelphia Phantoms training camp.{{cn|date=February 2019}} Houle had played seven straight games for the Titans after Scott Stirling was traded to the San Antonio Rampage. In those seven games, he managed to put together the sixth best goals against average in the ECHL.{{cn|date=February 2019}}
The Phantoms liked what they saw in him and decided to switch him with Rejean Beauchemin, who was struggling early in the season. At the AHL level, Houle excelled. However, the test truly came when Jamie Storr was called up to be backup goalie for Antero Niittymäki while Robert Esche was on the injury list. With Storr in the National Hockey League, Houle became the starting goalie and retained this for the rest of the season.{{cn|date=February 2019}}
Scheduled to be a restricted free agent following the 2007-08 season, Houle became an unrestricted free agent when the Flyers didn't extend him a qualifying offer.{{cn|date=February 2019}} Houle eventually signed with the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers, but after three games and recording a 1-2-0 record with a 3.03 GAA, Houle was traded to the Cincinnati Cyclones.{{cn|date=February 2019}}
==Career statistics== ===Regular season and playoffs=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="width:80%; text-align:center;" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="10" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"|Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="8" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"|Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! W !! L !! T !! OTL !! MIN !! GA !! SO !! GAA !! SV% ! GP !! W !! L !! MIN !! GA !! SO !! GAA !! SV% |- | 2001–02 | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | QMJHL | 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || — || 38 || 0 || 0 || 0.00 || 1.000 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2002–03 | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | QMJHL | 30 || 4 || 18 || 3 || — || 1450 || 98 || 0 || 4.06 || .895 | 1 || 0 || 0 || 11 || 0 || 0 || 0.00 || 1.000 |- | 2003–04 | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | QMJHL | 51 || 34 || 15 || 1 || — || 2951 || 114 || 3 || 2.32 || .921 | 4 || 1 || 3 || 251 || 13 || 0 || 3.10 || .886 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2004–05 | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | QMJHL | 56 || 26 || 18 || 5 || — || 3108 || 130 || 6 || 2.51 || .911 | 4 || 1 || 3 || 245 || 10 || 0 || 2.44 || .905 |- | 2005–06 | Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 40 || 18 || 18 || — || 1 || 2153 || 91 || 2 || 2.54 || .914 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2005–06 | Trenton Titans | ECHL | 7 || 4 || 3 || — || 0 || 429 || 15 || 1 || 2.10 || .935 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | 2006–07 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 1 || 0 || 0 || — || 0 || 2 || 1 || 0 || 27.27 || .667 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2006–07 | Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 38 || 12 || 17 || — || 2 || 1879 || 104 || 0 || 3.32 || .893 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2007–08 | Wheeling Nailers | ECHL | 26 || 5 || 13 || — || 3 || 1318 || 82 || 0 || 3.73 || .889 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | 2007–08 | Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 10 || 2 || 5 || — || 0 || 442 || 21 || 1 || 2.85 || .892 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2008–09 | Las Vegas Wranglers | ECHL | 3 || 1 || 2 || — || 0 || 178 || 9 || 0 || 3.03 || .845 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | 2008–09 | Cincinnati Cyclones | ECHL | 14 || 7 || 4 || — || 2 || 791 || 40 || 0 || 3.04 || .885 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3"| AHL totals ! 88 !! 32 !! 40 !! — !! 3 !! 4474 !! 216 !! 3 !! 2.90 !! .903 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! — !! — !! — !! — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3"| NHL totals ! 1 !! 0 !! 0 !! — !! 0 !! 2 !! 1 !! 0 !! 27.27 !! .667 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! — !! — !! — !! — |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Ice hockey stats}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houle, Martin}} Category:1985 births Category:Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Category:Cape Breton Screaming Eagles players Category:Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) players Category:Ice hockey people from Montreal Category:Las Vegas Wranglers players Category:Living people Category:Philadelphia Flyers draft picks Category:Philadelphia Flyers players Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Category:Philadelphia Phantoms players Category:Trenton Titans players Category:Wheeling Nailers players Category:21st-century Canadian sportsmen