Five things to know about Porter Martone, who has a Flyers poster on his wall and hockey in his blood
Martone, who models his game after Corey Perry and the Tkachuk brothers, grew up liking the Flyers.
The Flyers’ first pick in the 2025 NHL Draft is in, and it’s Brampton Steelheads winger Porter Martone.
Here are five things to know about the newest Flyer:
He grew up liking the Flyers
Martone might be from Peterborough, Ontario but he grew up loving the Flyers. He even had a Claude Giroux poster in his childhood bedroom.
“I went to Philly, I was 8 years old, for a hockey tournament,” he told The Inquirer in Buffalo. “It was my birthday time, so me and my dad went to the Flyers game. My name was up on the Videotron for my birthday. It was amazing to go see the Flyers and to be able to watch a game at the arena.”
» READ MORE: Flyers select winger Porter Martone with the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NHL draft
He’s inspired by the Tkachuk brothers
The trait that pops out with Martone first is his size. He’s a huge winger, at 6-foot-3, 204 pounds, and he’s already taking inspiration from similarly sized power forwards who have found success in the NHL, like the Tkachuk brothers.
“You see Matthew Tkachuk vs. Corey Perry in the Stanley Cup Final ... I think that’s kind of when that big power forward mold comes out best,” Martone said on the NHL Draft Class podcast. “You see it in the playoffs right now how valuable they are. They have high-end skill, and you can see why Corey Perry’s playing with Connor McDavid on a line. They complement each other very well. That’s the kind of a player I want to be one day in the NHL.”
He played at the World Championships for Canada
Martone got to run with the big dogs this summer in the IIHF World Championships, representing Team Canada at age 18. He played alongside Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny, and Tyson Foerster at this year’s tournament.
“One day, Travis Konecny took me golfing in Sweden,” Martone told The Inquirer. “Foerster’s very great, kind of around my age, I sat beside him in the room. And then, [Travis] Sanheim, too. They’re all unbelievable people. And one thing I could tell is what it means to be a Flyer. And they really value that. They’re very tight, tight, tight people, and they really enjoy playing for the Flyers.”
He’s not the first member of his family to be drafted
Martone’s father was selected in the fourth round of the 1996 NHL draft, but ultimately never made it to the NHL. He later turned to coaching and teaching, and put the younger Martone in skates at age 2.
“I’ve always been in love with the game,” Martone told NHL.com. “My dad [Mike Martone] was a hockey player; he played in the OHL, was drafted in the NHL. So he got me into skates first, and I told my parents, ‘I’ll just play hockey forever.’ I just fell in love there right away.”
» READ MORE: Flyers draft: The Orange and Black pass on center in favor of high-scoring power forward Porter Martone
His parents are teachers
In the NHL’s pre-draft documentary, Martone visited his mom’s elementary school classroom in Lakefield, Ontario. His father is a high school teacher.
“Having Porter come into the class is very special for many reasons. The students have always loved when he visits! Over the years, he always makes a point of coming in and reading, playing outside, and even decorating Christmas cookies with the kids,” his mom, Angela, said in the documentary. “This visit was a little different but was still just Porter taking time to come hang out with the kids at St. Paul and include them in a pretty special moment in his journey.”