Top pick Porter Martone reunites with a Flyers legend at development camp, states intention of landing an NHL spot

Porter Martone, the Flyers’ top pick in the 2025 NHL draft, has been to Voorhees before.

Back then, he was just a kid with big dreams. On Wednesday, he was living it.

Decked out in a black Flyers shirt, with his No. 94 on it, and a black hat, he sat and chatted with reporters after his first practice as a Flyer. The No. 6 overall pick had a big smile as he spoke, akin to the one he had in a picture he found on his phone from years ago.

In the picture, the now 6-foot-3, 208-pound winger had on a Peterborough Petes tracksuit and an orange Flyers hat. And standing next to him was a familiar face who was also on the ice Wednesday at development camp: Wayne Simmonds.

“Just after practice, he walked off the ice, and I was here and we got a photo,” Martone said of Simmonds, who was playing for the Flyers at the time of the picture. Today, Simmonds is a community relations ambassador and hockey operations consultant with the team. “It’s pretty cool when you get to see people you idolize when you’re a kid, and now you’re working with them, they’re part of your development staff to try to get you a better hockey player.”

Martone said he hadn’t shown Simmonds the picture — yet — but it was one of the first things he told the guest coach on the ice. Simmonds’ reaction? “I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m that old?’” the 36-year-old chuckled.

But that snapshot moment was a defining one for the winger, who said he was one of 50 kids “just banging on the glass” at a practice.

“Him and a couple of others kind of took time out of their day to come say hi to us, take a couple of photos,” Martone recalled. “I think that’s a big thing as an NHL player, being able to give back to the community, give back to little kids who look up to [you and want to follow] in those footsteps. Now that you know I’m here, I want to make sure I do that to kids and try to make everyone’s day.”

“That’s awesome to hear,” Simmonds said when told of how it shaped Martone’s thinking. “I think for myself, I’ve always done that and never really paid attention to what’s going on around me, if kids are watching or anything like that. But to hear that, it’s amazing because that’s kind of why we play the game, right? To inspire others, for others to watch and enjoy.”

Fans in Philly certainly enjoyed watching “The Wayne Train” play. He spent eight seasons in orange and black and was one of the game’s best power forwards across his 15 NHL seasons. Now he’s hoping to pass on his knowledge to guys like Martone and fellow first-round pick Jack Nesbitt.

“We were telling the guys, if you want to look like Wayne, you’ve got to sit in front of the net, be there,” Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said. “Then he had a good smile, too, for us. I think he scared some of the guys.”

Martone didn’t look too scared on the ice as he skated in front of a crowd that seemed to move around the rink with him.

“He’s a pretty confident kid,” Armstrong said. “He reminds me a lot of Tyson [Foerster] when I was coaching him with the Phantoms. So he has that little bit of swag to him, like he knows that he’s a good player, and I think that’s a good thing. I think you want a player that has that confidence within himself.”

Tyson Foerster, you don’t say? Just a day earlier, Flyers general manager Danny Brière name-dropped the rookie as a possible replacement if the injured Foerster isn’t good to go at the start of the season.

And that is just where Martone’s mindset is focused. He wants to play in the NHL.

“Obviously, when you come into camp, you’re going to have to earn your job, you’re not just going to get it given to you,” he said. “If I get the opportunity to come in, I want to give it my all and try to earn my spot in the opening-night roster, and if I do, that’s a dream come true to play with the Flyers organization.

“But that doesn’t come without the work that needs to be put in. I’ve still got to do some stuff throughout the summer to get me ready for training camp in September and get me ready to play in the NHL next season.”

Another player Brière mentioned Tuesday as a possible Foerster replacement was Alex Bump. The left winger put the hockey world on notice as he showed off his high-end skill and scoring capabilities last season at Western Michigan, culminating in a national championship.

He also put the Flyers on notice by heading to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League just days after he lifted the trophy. Bump had three points (one goal, two assists) in two regular-season games and two goals in seven Calder Cup playoff games.

“Just playing more meaningful games and playoffs,” Bump said of his reasoning. “Definitely higher intensity; guys care, I think, a little bit more. So just that level of intensity that I need to know that I’m walking into. ... I didn’t think it was really worth it to waste one year on my contract for one game. So just try and go down there and learn as much as I could.”

And had he heard the name drop from Brière?

“Not at all,” he said. “I’m just trying to stay in my lane. I’ll let him decide whether he wants me or not. I’ll try [to put] my best foot forward and make him choose me. So, yeah, no, I just try to stay in my lane and just work hard.”