Flyers winger Porter Martone named Canada’s captain for the upcoming World Juniors

Martone, will lead Team Canada when the tournament starts on Friday in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Flyers teammate Jett Luchanko'll join him on the roster for the second straight year.

Flyers prospect Porter Martone will wear the "C" for Team Canada at World Juniors.Read moreAlejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

by Jackie Spiegel

Published Dec. 25, 2025, 2:22 p.m. ET

Porter Martone said he has “a bit of unfinished business” at this year’s World Junior Championship.

“We kind of want to come back and really show what we can do,” he told The Inquirer recently.

Now, Martone, who was selected sixth overall by the Flyers in the 2025 NHL draft, will lead that charge. On Wednesday night, after some Christmas Eve dinner, the right winger found out he had been named captain for Canada’s squad. On Thursday, they made it official.

“Just a huge honor,” Martone told TSN, adding he was at a loss for words initially. “When you’re a kid, you dream of playing in this tournament, and to wear the captaincy for this team is special. We’ve got a great group of leaders in that room and I think it’s going to be led by committee, but we’re all excited for tomorrow to start.”

Last year at the World Juniors in Ottawa, the Canadians were ousted by Czechia in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive tournament. Martone played in three of the team’s five games — scoring one goal — and was one of three skaters from his draft class to play for Canada, which usually takes an older roster.

“I said last night with the group, there’s going to be lots of adversity in this tournament,” Martone added in Minnesota. “It’s not going to be easy but it’s whether at those times we come closer together and we don’t fall apart. So, when the times get going tough it’s when teams bond and that’s when you win championships.”

He was then invited to participate in pre-tournament games and practices for Canada at the 2025 IIHF senior World Championships in May. Unlike previous players in his role, he stuck around and was called into action when Bo Horvat was injured. He suited up in two games, alongside Flyers forwards Travis Konecny and Tyson Foerster, and defensemen Travis Sanheim.

“One day, Travis Konecny took me golfing in Sweden,” Martone told The Inquirer in June at the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo. “Foerster’s very great, kind of around my age, I sat beside him in the room. And then, Sanheim, too.

“They’re all unbelievable people. And one thing I could tell is what it means to be a Flyer. And they really value that. They’re very tight, tight, tight people, and they really enjoy playing for the Flyers.”

Martone has previously worn the “C” for his country. He captained the gold-medal winning Canadians at the 2024 U18 World Championship. Canada came back to beat USA Hockey, 6-4, with current Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, then 16 years old, chipping in with three goals and an assist in the finale.

“I feel like anytime you get to put on the maple leaf, like, there’s really no words to describe it,” the 19-year-old told The Inquirer last week from Hockey Canada’s World Juniors camp in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

“It’s definitely a huge honor. And, you know, every time you put on that maple leaf, you want to represent Canada to the best of your ability. So it’s always special. I’m really looking forward to this tournament.”

The captain for Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League in his draft year, Martone is now suiting up for Michigan State. As a freshman, the right winger leads the Spartans in goals (11), points (20), power-play goals (three), game-winning goals (three), and penalty minutes (58) across 16 games.

Martone is not the only Flyers prospect who will wear a letter in Minnesota when the tournament begins on Friday. Jack Berglund, who was drafted in the second round in 2024, will be the captain for Sweden. Heikki Ruohonen, a 2024 fourth-rounder, will be an alternate captain for Finland.

Playing alongside Martone for Hockey Canada is fellow Flyers forward Jett Luchanko, who is typically a center but is playing on the wing for Dale Hunter. It will be the second time the duo will compete together for their country at World Juniors.

Max Westergård, who was taken in the fifth round of the 2025 draft, will also play for Finland, and Shane Vansaghi, a 2025 second-rounder and teammate of Martone’s at Michigan State, will suit up for USA Hockey. The Americans are looking for their third straight gold medal.