Flyers to bring Ed Snider Youth Hockey alum to NHL draft to help announce No. 5 pick

Jasmine Martinez was on her way home from the Jersey Shore on July 2 when she got an unexpected phone call that made her day. The person on the other line was Dan Rudd, the director of hockey programs at Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education. He was calling to tell the Neumann University senior that she had been selected to assist the Flyers in announcing their first-round pick (No. 5 overall) at the 2022 NHL draft in Montréal.

With that news, Jasmine, and her mother, Jennifer, are off to an all-expenses-paid trip to join the Flyers in Montreal. Martinez will be the lone woman representing the Flyers at the draft podium on Thursday.

» READ MORE: NHL draft 2022: Flyers picks and predictions; how to watch and stream

“I had absolutely no clue that this was happening,” Martinez said. “I was in shock, I didn’t believe what I heard. I had to hear it again, because I just didn’t believe that’s what came out, it was a really exciting moment.”

Martinez, 21, is an alumn of Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education, a non-profit created by former Flyers founder and owner Ed Snider in 2005. Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education provides underserved children from urban neighborhoods in Philadelphia and Camden with the opportunity to learn to play ice hockey with the goal of teaching life lessons through the sport.

Valerie Camillo, the president of business operations for the Flyers and a member of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation’s board of directors, saw the NHL draft as an opportunity to bring awareness towards youth hockey organizations in the Philadelphia area.

When she found out the Flyers could incorporate outside participation in making their pick, Camillo immediately thought Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education would be the perfect organization to shine a light on at an international level.

“We could help them raise awareness about their mission and what they do,” Camillo said. “It can help with fundraising for them, and it could also inspire kids that are currently in the program or alumni of the program.”

The next step was finding the right person to represent the program and the Flyers at the draft. Camillo and Scott Tharp, the president of Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education, hopped on a call, and decided there was one person who stood out amongst others — Martinez.

She has been involved with the organization since she was seven years old. During that time, the Northeast native has both played, and coached the U12 girls’ team.

“[Martinez] is just such an impressive and inspiring young woman,” Camillo said. “She does more than just teach people how to play the game or encourage them.”

Growing up, Martinez became familiar with hockey at a young age and enjoyed watching former Flyers winger Daniel Brière.

Her older brother and uncle were also part of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education program, which made her involvement that much easier. In addition to learning the game, Martinez was drawn to how the program held its athletes accountable off the ice.

“That [was what] kind of drew me in ... the discipline,” Martinez said. “I had to complete all my homework for school that night, before getting on the ice, so I went from school to the rink to do my homework and then as soon as I was done ... I got on the ice for practice.”

Besides partnering with the Flyers, the organization has also provided Martinez with experiences to travel and meet different athletes outside of hockey. At one event ‌ with the girl’s hockey team, she traveled to a tennis match and watched Serena Williams compete.

“That was something that really stuck with me,” Martinez said. “I was always learning whether that’s learning how to play hockey or learning to represent myself in a positive manner, there’s always a learning aspect behind everything.”

All while getting involved in other aspects of the game, like empowering the younger girls as a coach, Martinez continued her own hockey career in college.

» READ MORE: NHL draft: Meet five players the Flyers could take at No. 5

She earned a Snider Goals & Assists scholarship, which covers full tuition, room and board. After originally attending West Chester, Martinez transferred to Neumann to study sports management and play for the Division III team.

“If it wasn’t for Snider, I wouldn’t have a college education,” Martinez said. “I wouldn’t still be playing hockey today, still doing something I love, so I always look back and just appreciate all the support they had for me.”

While Martinez is packed and ready to leave Thursday morning, she can’t help but feel anxious, and excited. She hopes this opportunity will encourage others to pursue their passions, especially female athletes, and represent the organization that helped her build that confidence.

“Kids have dreams,” Martinez said. “You have to encourage kids to continue going after those dreams in order for them to actually pursue them, because a lot of the time people shoot kids down, saying they can’t do it. [At] Snider ... we are the people who tell them they can do it.”