PHILADELPHIA – First-round draft picks usually come to the NHL with a lot of hype but don’t always live up to that hope.
In the case of Porter Martone, the Flyers believe the player will be worth the publicity.
On Sunday, one day after Martone’s Michigan State Spartans were eliminated from the NCAA championship tournament, the Flyers signed the Peterborough, Ontario, Canada native to a three-year entry-level contract.
The Flyers selected Martone with the sixth overall pick in last year’s NHL Draft.
A right wing, the 19-year-old Martone has been successful throughout his junior and collegiate careers.
This past season he record 25 goals/50 points in 35 games for Michigan State.
Prior to that, the 6-foot-3, 204-pound Martone was a proficient scorer at the junior hockey level.
Playing for Mississauga and Brampton, he posted seasons of 33 and 37 goals. In the latter campaign, he wound up with 98 points.
As for the hype, Martone is already generating a lot of media noise, especially in his native Canada.
In an article penned by Ryan Dixon of @dixononsports, Brampton Steelheads coach James Richmond probably summed up Martone’s potential best.
“He’s got size,” Richmond said. “He’s got speed, he’s got skill, he’s got toughness.”
A couple years back, Martone served as captain of the Canada squad which won the U-18 gold medal in Finland.
At one point in his junior career, Martone was projected to be a No. 1 overall pick.
People throughout the Ontario Hockey League liked what they saw.
“He was not scared as a 16-year-old,” one OHL executive said. “I think it was his first pre-season game as a 16-year-old with Sarnia in London, he was trying to fight guys. It was one of those things where you thought, this guy is different
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