We have a new Flyer on top of the Under 25 hill. After two consecutive seasons seeing winger Matvei Michkov as the cream of the crop, Porter Martone is now Philadelphia’s top prospect under 25 years old. Martone had a whirlwind 2025-26, but finished it off in a way you couldn’t even write a script for. We take a look at what made Martone so darn impressive, and what has us salivating over what’s on the horizon in his first full rookie year.

No. 1: Porter Martone

2025-26 Primary League/Team: Michigan State University Spartans (NCAA), Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
2025-26 Statistics: 25 G, 25 A, 50 PTS in 35 GP (Michigan State University); 4 G, 6 A, 10 PTS in 9 GP (Philadelphia Regular Season), 2 G, 3 A, 5 PTS, 10 GP (Philadelphia Playoff)
Age as of 9/15/2026: 19
Acquired Via: 2025 NHL Draft — Round 1, Pick 6

How did Martone’s 2025-26 season go?

After finishing his Ontario Hockey League career in 2024-25, Martone opted to go the NCAA route, heading to the Michigan State University Spartans. Martone scored the second-most goals by a Spartan in his freshman season with 25, second only to former Flyer and current Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour. He was also only one of five to ever hit the 50-point mark as a Spartan in his freshman year. The season saw him with five games with three or more points, a four-point game against Ohio State, and a hat trick against the Fighting Irish in February.

Martone was absent for a few games but for good reason: he was the captain of Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships just after Christmas. Although Canada didn’t win gold, they took home bronze. Martone had six goals and three assists for nine points in the seven games of the tournament. His Spartan season looked great, and the team looked to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament, with aspirations of getting to the Frozen Four. Unfortunately, a lead late in the third period against Wisconsin was foiled when Michigan State coughed things up. The Spartans lost in the regional final in overtime, and Martone’s dynamic NCAA season was over.

At the time of the loss, many suspected Martone would take some time to reflect on what transpired before possibly signing with the Flyers and playing a few games near the end of the 2025-26 season. Instead, Martone turned the page immediately, signing his contract with Philadelphia and ending up with the big club down the stretch. And he was sensational! In his first National Hockey League game against Washington on the road on March 31, Martone took a minor penalty and didn’t score, but he didn’t look out of place at all. With five shots on goal, and almost 17 minutes of ice time (16:54), Martone showed no signs of butterflies.

That confidence, swagger, moxie — whatever you want to call it — fueled both Martone and the Flyers down the stretch as they made a sprint to a possible playoff spot. He earned an assist in a 4-2 loss to Detroit at home, and didn’t register a point in a win against the Islanders. However, he scored his first NHL goal in overtime against Boston, a 2-1 victory that saw him earn an assist on the opening Philadelphia tally. In the final five games, Martone had seven points (four goals, three helpers) as the Flyers clawed and fought their way into the third seed of the Metropolitan Division. It was a fairytale ending with Martone being one of the main characters.

Perhaps what was most surprising was his play in the playoffs. Against a dreaded opponent in Pittsburgh, Martone and the Flyers shut up a lot of skeptics with timely goals and a passion few could’ve seen coming. Martone scored twice in the opening two games, both of them game-winners. The second of the two was a wrister the likes of Auston Matthews might have been jealous of. He earned an assist in Game 3 as the Flyers took a commanding 3-0 lead, then tailed off somewhat. But his level of play saw him with over 21 minutes of ice time in the overtime clincher in Game 6.

Against Carolina, a lot of Flyers were stifled from start to finish. However, Martone wasn’t one of them. He earned a pair of assists over the four games, all losses in the sweep that ended Philadelphia’s season. Martone had shots in nine of 10 playoff games, and was one of the few bright spots in a series that showed how strong Carolina was, and how far the Flyers still had to go.

Following the sweep, Martone packed his bags and headed to the World Hockey Championships in Switzerland, representing Canada. The roster was stacked, with Sidney Crosby on a line at times with Martone, a dream come true for the teenager. Martone ended up on the team’s fourth line for most of the tournament, but looked again quite at home despite being in a new country with new teammates. Overall, Martone’s season showed his talent, drive, determination, and swagger, whether on the world junior, collegiate, NHL, or international level.

What are we expecting from Martone this season?

The fact is Martone will turn 20 on the cusp of training camp commencing. He’s young, he has a lot to learn, and has never endured the rigors of a full 84-game regular season against the best the NHL has to offer. Based on that 19-game sample size with the Flyers from late March through May, Martone should be able to take that experience and use it as a plus heading into this year. The expectations around him have already resulted in him being one of the odds-on favorites (or at least in the running) for the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year. So outside the locker room, the fans and pundits are believing he’s going to just pick up where he left off in the playoffs and start the season terrorizing the league.

If anything, Martone and the fan base should only look at the rookie season Matvei Michkov had and see there were several ups, a few downs, but generally a strong first impression. Because that excellence was seen so early last year, Martone might feel a bit more pressure to start the season red hot. That might not end up being the case. Regardless of what transpires, both Flyers general manager Danny Briere and head coach Rick Tocchet realize that Martone’s development might take more time than expected. In short, a season that was similar in production (or close) to Michkov’s rookie season would be a year a lot of people including Martone should be pleased with. Perhaps the only setback (if one could call it that) might be one or two trips down to Lehigh Valley to regain any lost confidence if things don’t come as easily to him as they seemed to in 2025-26. Even if that happens, the bigger picture is to see Martone develop into the potential star Flyers fans saw glimpses of during that six-week stretch.

How does Martone fit in the Flyers’ organization?

If there are two pillars currently on the Flyers roster that the team’s fortunes will rise or fall on, one has to be Matvei Michkov. The other has to be Martone. In a 2025 draft where the Flyers were almost certain to take a center to add to their depth and pipeline, Briere took the best player available in the rugged winger Martone. If Martone looks anywhere close to how he presented himself in the nine regular season games and 10 playoff games this past spring, then that’ll be a good first step towards solidifying Martone as one of the key pieces in Philadelphia becoming a have, and no longer a have not. They aren’t going to rush the kid, nor are they going to let him cheat on the other side of the puck. They didn’t do it with Michkov, they’re not going to start doing it with Martone.

Martone looks to be a player who will, without question, be slotted in the top three lines, and could be finding himself sliding up and down those three lines depending on injuries or if he’s riding a hot hand. It would be a bit of a surprise if he wasn’t in the top six to at least start the year. But perhaps the team might want to shelter him a little bit to get his feet wet, and having him avoid the opposition’s best on a routine basis. As it stands now, there’s a heck of a lot riding on his shoulders in terms of future success. That doesn’t mean the organization should rush the youngster and risk ruining what looks to be a diamond. Porter Martone is here for the long haul, that much is guaranteed.

What do we think Martone’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?

Heading into this year, and using last year as any kind of measuring stick, the sky might be the limit for Martone. He can score, he can shoot, he looks to be oozing high-end talent, can get under the skin of opponents, and has the intangibles to make everything work. Ideally, if everything pans out, Martone could end up becoming one of the better power forwards in the league a few seasons from now. That would most certainly see him as one of the Flyers’ best top-line wingers on a consistent basis. Or, if the team somehow becomes incredibly stacked via trades or in free agency, would be a stud second-line winger/sniper. His mental toughness is probably his biggest asset next to his on-ice toolbox, being able to focus on the next game with a clarity that a lot of teenagers simply can’t grasp.

If Martone can stay healthy, avoid continual defensive lapses that drive Tocchet and the coaching staff crazy, and put in the work to get better and learn, he’ll be getting to that elite level far sooner than a lot of people expected. What makes Martone so intriguing is that he never looked lost at any point during the 19 games he played last season in Philadelphia. With a full summer of training and conditioning nearly done, it appears that Martone is going to have a lot of eyes on him starting off. And possibly more eyes on him the longer his career goes on.

How we voted

…At No. 1:

BradMatvei MichkovColePorter MartoneEvanPorter MartoneJason MPorter MartoneKellyPorter MartoneKurtPorter MartoneMaddiePorter MartoneReadersPorter MartoneRyan GMatvei MichkovThomasPorter Martone

For Porter Martone:

Brad2Cole1Evan1Jason M1Kelly1Kurt1Maddie1Readers1Ryan G2Thomas1