Fans of the Philadelphia Flyers are extremely high on 19-year-old forward Porter Martone, and for good reason. The Peterborough native and childhood Flyers fan made an immediate impact in the NHL following a stellar campaign at Michigan State University, and he’s now being viewed as the crown jewel of the franchise’s young core.
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler also appears to be a major Martone believer.
Porter Martone praised as one of the best young players in the entire NHL
In his summer ranking of the top 100 drafted prospects in the NHL, Wheeler ranked Martone No. 3 on the list behind only the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Gavin McKenna and the San Jose Sharks’ Ivar Stenberg, who were selected first and second overall, respectively, in this summer’s draft.
He’s just one of four players grouped into Tier 1 of Wheeler’s rankings.
Here’s what Wheeler had to say about Martone:
Martone is a modern powered forward who blends size with skill, poise, physicality and scoring ability.
He has a pro build, battles for pucks when he’s on them, goes to the net, finishes his checks and will drop the gloves. He handles the puck extremely smoothly for his size and can be quite noticeable in possession when he’s playing with confidence and intention. I’ve seen him make a ton of individual skill plays one-on-one, cleanly beat goalies from mid-range with his strong shot and release and execute low-to-high plays from below the goal line or off the cycle. He has a nifty toe-drag, both in release and one-on-one handles, and slick handles, regularly making individual skill plays on the puck. He has a deceptive release point and is an excellent passer.
There have been games in which I’ve wanted to see him keep his feet moving and take over, and others where his discipline on the puck (in terms of play selection/turning it over) and off it (bad penalties, losing his man to chase, not finding open space) have been an issue. His skating can kick out from the knees a little bit, too, and it will need to improve if he wants the rest of his game to really pop at the NHL level. But he has a lot of attributes: size, strength, power, shot, playmaking, puck skill. He’s going to score goals, make plays and be able to impose himself in the NHL when he really comes into his own. He has the talent to become a high-end point-producing winger. The skill and hockey sense are real, and the consistency of his effort level and toughness have developed over time, too. He’s one of the top forward prospects in the game.
I debated ranking him No. 2.
After the Flyers selected Martone with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, he spent his draft-plus-one season putting up massive numbers at Michigan State, posting 25 goals and 50 points in 35 games for the Spartans as a freshman. Despite suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA Regional Final, Michigan State was unequivocally one of the best squads in all of college hockey in no small part due to the presence of Martone.
Martone immediately made the jump to the NHL after the conclusion of the Spartans’ season and, appropriately, was the spark plug that powered the Flyers to a playoff berth. He logged four goals and 10 points in his first nine games as an NHLer, including an electrifying overtime winner against the Boston Bruins to mark his first NHL goal.
His strong production continued in the playoffs, especially in the Flyers’ first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored massive goals in Games 1 and 2 of the series — both game-winners — and finished the playoffs tied for second on the Flyers with five points in the postseason.
With a full offseason to recharge, Martone is expected to take on a massive role as a rookie this coming season. He’ll likely slot in as a top-six winger and earn significant usage on the power play. Martone is currently the odds-on favorite to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.
