Porter Martone grew up in Canada rooting for the Flyers. He’ll make his NHL debut with them on Tuesday.
The Ontario native owned a Flyers jersey, celebrated his eighth birthday at the then-Wells Fargo Center, and once met Wayne Simmonds. Martone will play alongside Travis Konecny and Christian Dvorak.

WASHINGTON ― When Porter Martone steps onto the ice at Capital One Arena on Tuesday night for his NHL debut, he’ll have a familiar face across the way.
The right winger will be skating with Travis Konecny, who is shifting to the left to accommodate the 19-year-old, and who lined up with him in the same formation for a couple of exhibition games before the IIHF men’s World Championship last May; their center was one Macklin Celebrini.
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“He’s a player, from what I remember, who wants to learn,” Konecny told The Inquirer on Tuesday. “He listens and seems like he’s one of those guys, you tell him something that you see, and he won’t make that mistake again; for maybe a couple of games, it kind of sticks in his head where, with young guys, sometimes it’s hard to get habits out.
“I’m sure he’s going to have some stuff, but he seems prepared and ready to go, and I look forward to playing with him tonight.”
Coach Rick Tocchet doesn’t want to overload the rookie. “Just play” was his message. But the duo will have the luxury of 200-foot pivot Christian Dvorak down the middle, who also served as the center for Alex Bump when he made his NHL debut in early March. It gives Martone another veteran to rely on as he dips his toes into the NHL.
“I think, obviously, it’s just not going to click right away, as you know, you’ve got to build some chemistry and see how things go,” Martone said about playing with Konecny. “But just how I know how he plays, and what he likes to do on the ice, will definitely help.”
Martone will also be on the first power play with Konecny, Noah Cates, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Trevor Zegras. Tocchet likes the addition of another right-shot to the first unit, giving options to Zegras, whom the unit runs through.
When Martone spoke with The Inquirer at the NHL’s scouting combine at the start of June, he said, “I’m a big, 200-foot power forward who definitely has a very high hockey IQ, can make plays, can set up teammates,” when asked to describe his game.
Things have changed.
Across 35 games with Michigan State, the winger had 25 goals and 50 points. His 1.43 points per game rank fourth in the nation, while he is tied for sixth in points and tied for second in goals. Martone and Quinnipiac’s Ethan Wyttenbach were the only freshmen to score 20 goals.
“I feel like last year I leaned more passer and was more of a playmaker, and this year, I think I added more of a goal-scoring element,” Martone said. “[It was] something I worked on, and I think a big thing for me is getting to the net and that’s where you’re going to score goals.”
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According to Tocchet, internally, the Flyers “had a good debate” about when Martone would make his debut. Now it will come against the Washington Capitals (7 p.m., NBCSP) amid the team’s playoff push. If they win on Tuesday, and the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, and Detroit Red Wings all lose, the Flyers would move into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference based on points percentage.
Martone has watched every Flyers game he could since he put on a Flyers jersey for the first time on June 27 after being drafted sixth overall. But it’s not a moment that he only started picturing nine months ago.
“It is really cool because I was a Flyers fan growing up, and I had a Flyers jersey, and everything all over my house, and getting to go to a game, it’s pretty cool,” said Martone, who was in Philly for, what else, a hockey tournament, and went to a Flyers game for his eighth birthday where his name was up on the video board.
“When you get drafted to the Flyers, it kind of [sinks] in that you’re a Flyers fan growing up, and then you just get drafted by the team, and now you’re playing your first game, everything clicks together.”
Breakaways
Martone is the fourth Flyer to take a rookie lap this season, joining Bump, Denver Barkey, and Ty Murchison. ... Bump will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season. He has six points but played a season-low 9 minutes, 46 seconds on Sunday against the Dallas Stars. “We have a lot of young guys, so maybe there’s a rotation,” Tocchet said. “I’m not going to get into why. I thought [Carl Grundström] had a really good game last game. He’s played some playoff games, veteran guy. But that doesn’t mean Bumper is not going to play the next game.” ... Dan Vladař (24-12-7, .907 save percentage) will start in goal for the Flyers. He has faced Alex Ovechkin seven times, allowing three goals, including No. 883 when he was with the Calgary Flames. He has not allowed a goal against the 40-year-old this season in two meetings. This could be the last time the Flyers face Ovechkin, who has 52 goals and 84 points in 81 regular-season games against Philly.