With the two semifinal matchups set for the 2026 World Junior Championships, top Philadelphia Flyers prospect Porter Martone is going to have to prove himself on the ice, and for more reasons than one.
Martone, 19, and Canada laid a 7-1 thrashing on Slovakia Friday night to advance to the semifinals, setting up a rematch with a stellar Czechia team.
Of course, this means coming face-to-face with Adam Novotny, the standout 2026 draft prospect who received a pat on the rear from Martone after the latter's empty-net goal earlier in the tournament, and Czechia captain Petr Sikora, who called out Martone for his behavior.
The teenaged Flyers prospect received a formal warning from the IIHF for his trolling, and now he'll have the opportunity to back it up while setting his Canada up for a gold-medal game all at the same time.
Earlier Friday, Novotny, Sikora (one goal and two assists), and the Czechs crushed Switzerland 6-2 on the strength of six different goal-scorers.
Top Flyers Prospect Is A Master Of Getting Under Opponents' Skin
Star <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> prospect Porter Martone has all-world skill, and that's why he was made a top draft pick, but there are other elements of his game that should be talked about more.
On the other side of things, a few other Flyers prospects will be going head-to-head for a shot at the gold-medal game themselves.
Max Westergard, Heikki Ruohonen, and Finland will face Jack Berglund and Sweden at 4:30 p.m. Sunday and will face the winner of Canada and Czechia, who play at 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
As such, it is guaranteed that at least one Flyers prospect will play for gold in the 2026 World Juniors, and there's a 75% chance that the organization will have a youngster bring it home.
With his goal and assist against Slovakia Friday, Martone has four goals, three assists, and seven points in five games as Canada's captain in the tournament.
Playing at the U20 level last season, Martone scored once in three games for Canada.