Jon Martin surrounded by teammates (photo by Darwin Knelsen for scbroncos.com)

When fans look back on the 2015-16 season for the Swift Current Broncos, Jon Martin's name will be front and center.

The Winnipeg native was one of the best stories of the WHL season when after four years as a hard-nosed grinder he became one of the top goal scorers in the league.

"What a story and what a year," said Broncos associate coach Ryan Smith. "(It's) one of those real feel good stories when you sit back and look at the season."

As much as that story has been told, Martin is hoping he can leave a legacy in Swift Current in other ways.

"I was lucky enough to come here and be a captain," Martin said. "I'm just really grateful for that and hope that other guys learned a lot from myself and the way I do things and I had an impact on their careers as well."

Martin spent four seasons with the Kootenay Ice and felt he learned a lot in an environment where the team was used to having playoff success. He brought that mentality with him to Swift Current.

"I was hoping to have a big impact on this group from coming from a winning culture," Martin noted. "Showing them different ways, showing them how other teams do things... I think it'll take a little more preparation and paying attention to simple details."

The Broncos had a season full of tough breaks and close losses. Martin believes they have the talent to take a step forward next season, but they have to find lessons in what happened.

"The biggest thing is this group has to learn from those mistakes we've had this year and all that adversity," he added. "We have to learn that and take it into next year. Remember it not forget about it and go into every game remembering how it feels to have that many close one-goal games."

After over 300 games and five seasons in the WHL Martin has grown a lot and forged relationships that will stick with him.

"You come into this league a boy and you leave a man," Martin said. "It's been great. You meet a lot of great people, play with a lot of great players and a lot of great coaches. It's just endless possibilities that I'm grateful for."

Now Martin with join San Jose's AHL affiliate to begin his professional career. He signed a three-year contract with the Sharks a few weeks ago.

The Broncos also graduated overage forwards Scott Feser and Jamal Watson.