Martin Spanhel was born July 1, 1977 in Zlin, Czech Republic. The sixth round, 152nd overall selection of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Spanhel came to North America in 1995-96 as a member of the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The hulking winger played a mere six games in Lethbridge before joining the Moose Jaw Warriors. After only one season in the WHL, Spanhel returned to the Czech Republic where he played for four years before signing as a free agent with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2000. Upon his arrival, Spanhel went on to split his first two seasons between the Blue Jackets and the team's AHL affiliate in Syracuse before returning yet again to the Czech Republic in 2002-03.