Porter Martone looked like he could do no wrong when he joined the Philadelphia Flyers at the end of last season.
The rookie put up 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his first nine NHL games, and then scored the game-winning goal in each of his first two postseason contests, finishing the playoffs with five points in 10 games.
Martone is the favorite for the Calder Trophy this season, and he was the Flyers’ representative at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Chicago this week.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan caught up with Martone and other up-and-coming rookies to get answers to some burning questions.
While hockey players have a reputation for being quite boring, and that came through in a few of their answers, Martone shared the most embarrassing story from his hockey career so far.
“Martone: My draft year, we’re in the OHL Cup Finals. It’s like the biggest game of my life at that point. This is like the Stanley Cup for me at this age. And I think we were losing 2-1. Our D-man broke a stick, and as he skated back, they got a breakaway. So I tried to huck my stick from the bench to give to our defenseman and it lands in the other guy skates and trips him, and they kicked me out of the game. I played five shifts and I don’t know why I did it. I remember I was bawling my eyes out because it’s like the biggest day of my life. And we ended up losing too, so it kind of made it worse.”
And, through some digging on YouTube, we’ve found footage of that moment:
I've unearthed video of Porter Martone's most embarrassing hockey moment: getting ejected from the 2022 OHL Cup Finals for throwing his stick from the bench. https://t.co/YWKuqALTw7 pic.twitter.com/OsDPcL259e
— Ryan Gilbert (@RGilbertSOP) July 31, 2026
The play unfolds exactly as Martone described. The defenseman broke his stick on a shot, and Martone alertly tried to re-arm his teammate. He then threw his stick directly into the opponent’s skates. It’s incredibly impressive.
Martone shouldn’t feel too bad, though. He did score a goal before getting ejected, and his team ultimately lost 6-2, with Michael Misa recording a hat trick and adding two assists for the Mississauga Senators.
Ironically enough, Martone ended up playing some of his OHL career in Mississauga for the Steelheads, in between stints with the Sarnia Sting and Brampton Steelheads. And the final moment of his minor hockey career being that couldn’t have hurt his stock too bad, since he was drafted fifth-overall by the Sting months later. Martone is just a gamer.
Martone on his no-helmet rookie lap and pregame nap
Martone was also asked about some of his memorable rookie moments, and he recalled preparing for his rookie lap on March 31 in Washington.
“Martone (on not wearing a helmet for his rookie lap in warmups): Actually, I was getting dressed and I didn’t really decide. I looked in my stall and there’s no helmet in there. I think either the trainers or the guys on the team took my helmet, so I kind of had no other choice. I remember I went over to the sink, put some water in my hair and went out there. But yeah, it’s pretty cool. You kind of get a little bit of nerves kind of skating out there, but once you get on the ice, it’s just the game you play and the game you love to do.”
Porter Martone comes out for his rookie lap ahead of his debut 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/h16aKZgLEN
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 31, 2026
His NHL debut came just three days after Michigan State saw its season come to a close against Wisconsin. The 19-year-old played a lot of hockey over the last year and a half.
After playing 57 regular-season games and six in the playoffs with the Steelheads — not to mention three World Junior games –, Martone joined Team Canada at the World Championships last May.
That led into a 35-game season at Michigan State, where he was able to get in some weight training on his off days. He also captained Canada at the World Juniors, putting up nine points in seven games.
Of course, he then joined the Flyers for 19 total games, and once that was over, he again represented Canada at the World Championships, recording five points in 10 games.
That’s a lot of hockey for anyone, let alone a 19-year-old just getting his feet wet in the NHL.
Luckily, Martone has an important part of his pregame routine to keep him rested and ready to go.
“Definitely my pregame nap,” he said when asked what part of his pregame routine he’s most obsessed with. “I could shut it down for like three hours if I wanted to.”
Hopefully, Martone’s pregame nap can lead to a successful rookie season with the Flyers this year.
