Not too many aspiring 19-year-olds get to see power-play time in their first NHL game.
That’s why a lot of eyes were on Porter Martone as he was about to make his Flyers debut on Tuesday night against the Capitals at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Martone was a major force on the Michigan State University team, which concluded play on Saturday in an NCAA tournament loss to Wisconsin.
Now, just a few days later, Martone was getting put into action in a critical game for the Flyers.
It’s not exactly a secret the Flyers could use help on their power play, which is on schedule to finish last in the NHL for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Maybe Martone can change that. He’s joining a PP unit which already has right-handers Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett. So one more righty shooter might be able to help the man advantage proficiency.
Martone did score eight of his 25 goals on the power play in his one year at MSU, so he should know his way around the net when the Flyers are up a man.
“Honestly, I’m just happy to be in the lineup,” Martone said after the morning skate at Bank One Arena. “I do like to play on the power play. I’ve got a good hockey IQ. I can make plays.”
The question is whether Martone can fit in right away.
The same can be said for even strength as well. At the morning skate, Martone was working on a line with Konecny and Christian Dvorak. Both Konecny and Martone are righthanded shots, so Konecny was scheduled to move to the left side.
“I’ve been watching him (Konecny) play a lot this year,” Martone said. “Obviously it’s not going to click right away. You have to build some chemistry.”
Martone, a sixth overall pick of the Flyers in last year’s draft, said he watched as many Flyers games as he could on television over the past season when he wasn’t playing in a game himself.
He said he’s been working on becoming more of a shooter than just a passer. That could explain why he was able to have as many goals (25) as assists (25).
“Last year (2024-25) I was more of a passer (in junior) and playmaker,” he said. “This year I added more of a goalscoring element. It’s something I worked on. Big thing for me was getting to the net. That’s where you score goals.”
Coach Rick Tocchet doesn’t want to put too much pressure on the young man but the Flyers are involved in a playoff drive so every bit of playing time matters.
“He’s a hockey player, just play, we don’t want to overload him,” Tocchet said. “He actually worked on the power play (at the morning skate) and he had some good intelligence out there. Just let him play, have some fun.”
Tocchet planned to get Martone involved in action as quickly as possible.
“I think it’s important I get him out there quickly,” Tocchet said. “Guy makes a mistake early, he’s not going to sit on the bench. It’s like anything, as a coach, you see how the game is going. But definitely try to make him feel comfortable out there. That’s something I have to do for him.”
Getting Martone onto the power play didn’t seem like too much of a risk on a unit that’s clicking at only around 15 percent.
“I like the righty sticks,” Tocchet said. “Now Trevor (Zegras, who quarterbacks the unit) has three righties that all can shoot the puck.”
Tocchet said Martone looks like a natural on the PP.
“Just looking people off, the deception,” Tocchet said. “You can tell he’s been on the power play.”
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