
Although things have gone awry in the NHL, top Philadelphia Flyers prospect Porter Martone is still giving fans something to be excited about as the season gets late early.
Martone, 19, had a so-so performance at the 2026 World Juniors by his standards, but he did, after all, lead the tournament in goals while still placing seventh in overall scoring.
The prized Flyers prospect has maintained that momentum through his return to NCAA action with Michigan State University, as he's now up to four goals, 10 assists, and 14 points in his last eight collegiate appearances.
Five of those assists, and six of those points, were racked up just this past weekend in must-see, back-to-back matchups with Penn State and Gavin McKenna, Martone's World Juniors teammate with Canada and an esteemed 2026 NHL Draft prospect.
In a preview of Saturday's outdoor game at Beaver Stadium, Martone dropped a goal and two assists in a 6-3 defeat of Penn State on Friday, scoring the game-winner from close range and taunting the Nittany Lions' student section in celebration.
McKenna, who was held scoreless in Friday's preliminary showdown, tried to get his revenge on Saturday in the outdoor game with his goal and two assists, but he was outdueled by Martone and his three assists in a 5-4 decision for Michigan State.
Much has been made of the 2025 No. 6 overall pick's ability, or occasional lack thereof, to take over games.
Inconsistency is fine for a young player, though, and the Martone storm has clearly been brewing since the start of World Juniors two months ago.
At a time when Flyers fans are turning on first-year head coach Rick Tocchet by the handful in response to the team's late-season collapse and handling of star forward Matvei Michkov, Martone is bringing about as much excitement as one can ask for from a prospect.
If the second-half surge from Martone tells us anything, it's that his NHL debut for the Flyers is right around the corner.