Next up in my prospect series is Porter Martone, the 6’3″ power forward who many consider the best winger available in this year’s draft. At 18 years old, Martone brings a rare combination of size, skill, and hockey IQ that has scouts drooling over his potential. The Brampton Steelheads captain just wrapped up representing Team Canada at the World Championships, giving him valuable experience playing alongside NHL all-stars. While his skating isn’t elite, Martone’s ability to find the back of the net consistently—31 of his 45 tracked goals came from in front of the net—showcases exactly the type of net-front presence that translates beautifully to the NHL level. Let’s dive into what makes this power forward so intriguing for teams picking in the top 10.
Net-Front Dominance: Finding the Soft Ice
Clip 1 – What you’ll notice a lot with Martone is that he scores a majority of his goals in front of the net. In fact, of the 45 goals tracked on InStat, 31 of them came from in front of the net. This goal is no different. It’s been noted that Martone isn’t the fastest skater in the world, but here’s a prime example of a breakout play where he doesn’t try to blow by the defenders. Instead, after he moves the puck, he strategically waits for the play to develop and finds the soft ice wide open as the defender forgets to go after him. He’s going to score this on OHL goalies a majority of the time.
Clip 2 – Another example of Martone joining the rush and going right to the front of the net. A guy with his size has probably always been taught to go to the front of the net to score goals, and there’s a reason for it. He rarely hangs around just standing there but always seems to be there at the right time, using his hockey IQ to get lost in coverage, allowing him to get an easy shot off in front of the net to beat the goalie.
Clip 3 – This one is a goal against where you can put some of the blame on Martone. For a guy of his size, as I’ve stated, he doesn’t mind getting into the dirty areas, but there are some issues with him playing in a league where he’s just so much better than most. It can create bad habits like waiting for the puck to come to you or reaching out with your stick to try and get a loose puck. Instead of keeping his feet moving and getting his body between the puck and the defender that comes from behind, he lets the other guy easily win the puck, and it results in a goal against.
Power Play Weapon: More Than Just a Shooter
Clip 4 – I want to be careful with this comparison, but Porter Martone on the power play lines up lower than Ovechkin on that flank and is almost a little like Stamkos. He’s a threat to shoot it, he’s a threat from the goal line, and he’s smart enough to pass it. Here’s an example of how he just waits and waits before picking apart the goalie on the power play from below the dot.
Clip 5 – Another power play setup where we see both his shot from below the dot, but it’s how he chases the rebound behind the net and, instead of trying to immediately get into a shooting position, his head is up below the goal line showcasing his vision to make a great pass for a goal.
Clip 6 – On this power play assist, we see Martone fake the one-timer from below the dot and hit the guy in front of the net for an easy tap-in. Again, when the opposing team knows you’re a threat to shoot that low, it opens up so many other levels to his game to make plays. If he can continue to be a scoring threat from this area of the ice at the next level, it’ll help propel his game.
Hockey IQ & Versatility: The Complete Package
Clip 7 – Here’s a great example of Martone just never giving up. After doing all the legwork to get the puck into the O-zone, just as it’s turned over, Martone’s quick backcheck is able to catch the opposition sleeping as he stick-lifts him, stealing the puck and scoring a goal in the high slot.
Clip 8 – This is the “highlight reel goal” that you’ll see on draft night. While Martone is not seen as a speed burner, here’s an example of him beating a defender with speed and then on the breakaway going between the legs for the goal. These are the types of goals you probably won’t see in the NHL, but top-end guys like this score all the time against lesser competition in junior hockey.
Clip 9 – Now everyone thinks that because Porter Martone is 6’3″ that he’s going to be this heavy bruiser wing/center like Tom Wilson. He may become that, but most of the time Martone is actively stick-on-puck for his takeaways, and this one leads to him making a great pass for a goal.
Prospect Summary:
Looking at Porter Martone’s game, what immediately stands out is his ability to consistently find the back of the net from high-percentage areas. The fact that 31 of his 45 tracked goals came from in front of the net isn’t an accident—it’s a player who understands where goals are scored and has the hockey IQ to get there at the right time.
What impressed me most about Martone is his power play versatility. While everyone focuses on his net-front presence at 5-on-5, his ability to operate from below the goal line on the man advantage reminds me of prime Stamkos. He’s not just camping out waiting for one-timers; he’s reading the play, using shot fakes to create space for teammates, and showing the kind of patience that drives penalty killers crazy.
The physical tools are obvious—6’3″, 208 pounds with soft hands for his size. But what separates him from typical power forwards is his stick-on-puck defensive play and hockey sense. He’s not just bulldozing through opponents; he’s thinking the game at a high level, which is why his backcheck and anticipation create so many scoring chances.
That said, playing against weaker OHL competition has created some concerning habits. The goal against in clip 9 shows how he can get lazy with his positioning, reaching for pucks instead of moving his feet. At the NHL level, those mental lapses get punished immediately.
If the Flyers somehow land him at 6th overall (which seems unlikely), they’d be getting a player who could slot in alongside Michkov and provide the net-front presence this team desperately needs. His experience with Team Canada at the World Championships shows he can play with elite talent, and at only 18, there’s still significant development runway ahead.
Bottom line: Martone has legitimate top-line upside if his skating continues improving. He’s not the bruiser some expect, although if he wants to be a top line player he may need to become more physcial in the NHL, but rather a skilled power forward who happens to be 6’3″. That combination is rare and exactly why he’ll likely be off the board before the Flyers pick.