Porter Martone Scores a Hat Trick as Canada Thumps Switzerland in the U18 World Championships
Porter Martone continues to showcase his talent at the U18 World Championships with a hat trick against Switzerland, as Canada wins 8-1.
2025 NHL Draft prospect Porter Martone is doing it all for Canada at the U18 World Championships. He is leading them by wearing the 'C' as a younger player, and he adds to his terrific performance with a hat trick versus Switzerland to improve to 3-0 in the tournament.
All three of Martone's goals showcase different elements of his skill set that make him valuable.
On his first goal, he was able to create room for himself in front of the net. Initially, he was ready to shoot in the low slot, but once his teammate shot the puck himself, Martone spotted the rebound and batted it out of mid-air — showcasing those hand-eye skills around the net.
On goal number two, Martone uses his quick feet to start the breakout and make a long pass to Gavin McKenna to gain the entry. He keeps his feet moving up the ice, but his timing is precise as he's able to hold himself up high in the zone to create seperation and find a shooting lane.
McKenna is then able to find him in the high slot with the puck, and Martone one-times it home. His shot power is crucial on this play, as the shot was hard enough to power through the goaltender.
For his hat trick goal, Martone showcases pure flash and skill around the net. He's able to separate himself from the opposing defender on the entry, and find himself in alone on the goaltender.
He receives the puck with his back turned to the goaltender, before slipping the puck through his legs and roofing it on the between-the-legs shot.
All three of these goals speak to Martone's ability to work in tight around the net, and find open space. He can be flashy like he was on the third goal, but he can also track pucks and rebounds quickly in tight as he did on the first goal.
The Steelheads have a phenomenal talent on their hands, and with Martone, they will be one of the most exciting teams in the OHL next season,
Martone just continues to add to his resume ahead of next year's NHL Entry Draft, and he still has one more full season to play in major junior hockey before he is eligible.