As the Flyers’ annual Development Camp has gotten rolling through this week, another opportunity has come to pass to see a wide variety of prospects, at a wide variety of places on their own developments — some prospects just looking to get their footing after being drafted last week, others working up thebranks and fine tuning their games, and, perhaps most critically, some with good NHL experience in the back pocket already, looking to continue to put in the work and serve as a good example for the newer comers.
This group of more experienced young players is comprised of Alex Bump and Denver Barkey — the pair coming off of their first full seasons as professionals, and promising extended stints with the Flyers — and Porter Martone, who’s marking this as just one more stop in what’s been a very busy season for him. With a long season spent at Michigan State, stops on the international stage at World Juniors and the World Championship this spring, not to mention his late season run into the playoffs with the Flyers, Martone’s kept himself busy, but for him, it would seem, that busy isn’t busy enough.
“I got back [from Worlds],” he said on Monday, “at [the] start of June and I wanted to get back on the ice and working out as quick as possible, because I got so bored after one or two days. But, you know, I had to be be smart there and, you know, [I] kind of talked to my agent and my support staff around me and, you know, it came to an executive decision that, you know, I took about a week and a half away from the gym and [than after that], you know, got back in the gym, started building that foundation and that strength again and then, you know, back on the ice here and… kind of ramp it up towards training camp. But, you know, I definitely took some, you know, time off, [it] was a long season, played on four different teams. So, you know, you do need that that rest to get your body ready again for the offseason.”
Martone’s done well to make an impact at each level he’s played at this year, and while this has certainly made for an impressive resume, his continued drive to improve is what will go the farthest to propel him towards another successful season, come the fall. But in that, though, there remains a consideration for how to train smart and take care of the body, and not just continue to dive headfirst into strenuous on-ice workouts, as much as Martone might be eager to keep the ball rolling.
“This is my first time back on the ice,” he went on, “[I stopped] playing about 3 weeks ago. So, you know, I think that’s kind of what we talked about, that’s kind of always been the plan [to], you know, start the power skating and, you know, see how I feel throughout the week. You know, kind of prioritize, you know, the workouts and the lifts and, you know, when I can get on the ice, you know, take advantage of that. But, you know, it’s something that… I want to do and… the Flyers kind of talked [about] with me.”
Martone’s participation in this week’s activities might have been limited somewhat, but his presence is still a meaningful one. His ability to take part in the off-ice sessions, as well as the power skating sessions — some of which we saw him struggling through a bit, but that learning experience, how he builds from that, will be valuable — is important to his own training process, but it’s also a meaningful presence to the members of this group who haven’t yet hit the same highs and made it to the NHL. It’s a step that he’s appreciative of, but there’s a clear eagerness in him to continue building his game, and making himself essential to this team.
“I think I kind of got a jump start last year,” he concluded, “and I got to come in at the end of the season, but you know, there’s still a team to make and a job to earn. So that’s something that, you know, my mindset is, this offseason is to come earn a job on this team and, you know, just be an important part of this team next year…. You saw the, you know, kind of steps that we made and… got playoffs back to Philadelphia but, you know, I think there’s something more and that’s something I’m excited to bring… [in] a full season of [doing] what I can do to, you know, help this team in any little way. But, you know, first is just taking it day by day [and] getting better throughout the summer and [coming] into camp and, you know, [earning] a job on this team.”
For Martone, a return to camp makes for a good opportunity to ease back into his training and establish his commitment to being an essential cog in the organizational machine, but it’s also a good reminder, thinks Partick Sharp, “[showing] that the the process works, and every year these kids are getting better when they come back to camp.”
Martone’s case is a unique one, in just how quickly he was able to jump into a meaningful NHL role, but there’s still plenty of wisdom to be shared in how his adherence to his development process, even when it’s challenging, helped to bring him to this point.
