‘He’s unbelievable’: Porter Martone always gets paired with future NHL stars – for a reason

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
Porter Martone (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)
Credit: Porter Martone (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

VANTAA, Fin. – Whenever he dons the Hockey Canada red, white, and black, Porter Martone comes to play.

And there’s a reason he’s always paired with elite junior hockey talent. Michael Misa. Macklin Celebrini. And now Gavin McKenna at the U-18 World Hockey Championship in Finland.

You don’t pair up special players with just anyone. You need linemates who can generate chances, be a perfect support piece, and finish when needed. Martone continues to prove he can play with the best of the best, and, in turn, that has made him one of the top prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft.

“He’s unreal, he’s an unbelievable playmaker, and he can score some pretty beautiful goals. He’s just unbelievable,” McKenna said with a smile after the pair combined for one of the tournament’s best goals.

That goal was one of three against Switzerland in Canada’s 8-1 victory early on in the tournament. Heading into Sunday’s championship game, Martone sits tied with McKenna for first in team scoring and second behind USA phenom James Hagens, who broke the all-time scoring record with his 22nd point. Martone has at least two points in five of his six games so far, which included an additional three-point night against Czechia and a five-point affair against Kazakhstan in the final round-robin game.

Martone is described by his peers as a kind, team-first, down-to-earth teenager who just loves the game. He’s already in his second appearance with Canada, having helped them win bronze a year ago. Now 17, Martone owns the Canadian scoring record with 22 points in just 13 games, blasting past Connor Bedard’s 21 points in 2021 and 2022.

Bedard’s a damn special player, so that means something. Granted, Bedard was a year younger when he got started, and McKenna, if he participates again next year, is well on his way to crushing it. But that still means besting two-year efforts from Mathew Barzal and Sam Reinhart, among others.

Martone was drafted fifth overall by the Sarnia Sting in 2022, but was traded to the Mississauga Steelheads in a deal that sent Ethan Del Mastro the other way. He put up good numbers as a rookie and was also one of the top players at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge, with seven goals and 12 points in just seven games.

This year, though, Martone has been unstoppable. He helped Canada win gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August before embarking on his first full-time season with the Steelheads. Martone led the team with 33 goals and finished second with 71 points in 60 games, and had another six points in five games.

Martone knows a thing or two about putting pucks in the back of the net – expect him to chase 50 on a competitive Steelheads squad next year. But he also continued to show his aggressive side, something that, on the surface, feels so odd the more you get to know him. His teammates consider him to be such a great guy, but he’s out there trying to rip people’s flesh off multiple times a game.

“He’s a beast out there,” a scout said. “He’s got the frame (6-foot-3), but he’s also just got that dog in him. He wants the puck and doesn’t care who he has to hurt to make it happen.”

That type of mentality has gotten him in trouble at points, as it did in the semifinal against Sweden after he had a chat with a Swedish defender about 20 seconds after a whistle midway through the game. But when you package the scoring, the playmaking and the physicality together, you get one of the more fascinating prospects at this age – and he’ll have a leg up as one of the older players in the 2025 NHL Draft with three years of major junior experience under his belt.

“He’s just a special player, he’s going to go really high in his draft year,” McKenna added. “He works so hard, he’s such a fun guy to play with. You’ve gotta be ready for a pass coming from him because it’s like he’s got eyes on the back of his head.”

Martone’s playmaking has been mentioned often by his teammates in Finland, but that wasn’t a big strength of his. He’s always been a goal scorer who skates and moves like an NHL-caliber forward. He used to be able to overpower players with a big frame in minor hockey; now, he knows how to actually use that to his advantage.

Many NHL comparables have been thrown out to describe Martone, but the one mentioned the most is 2011 Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry. He clearly could score, having won the Maurice Richard in his MVP season, and was a consistent 60-plus point guy with over 100 penalty minutes during his prime years.age. That means winning battles in front of the net, along the boards and just about anywhere else.

“The stuff he can is just amazing,” said Ryerson Leenders, Martone’s goalie with Canada and the Steelheads. “He’ll become one of the greats, for sure.”

It’s hard to call Martone the complete package. But when you’ve got such a well-rounded player already, and everyone around him seems to love him, that’s a good sign.

“He knows what to say at the right moments, he’s really good in the room,” goaltender Carter George said. “He’s really good to everyone, I love hanging out with that guy.”

Canada will need Martone to be the complete package on Sunday if it wants to beat the United States—a puck wizard, a menace, and a leader all wrapped up in one. USA has played together for two years preparing for this moment, while Canada came together for the first time about three weeks ago.

But it’s hard to say no to a championship game with two of the best nations in hockey going at it. Expect USA’s big guns – namely Hagens, Cole Eiserman and Teddy Stiga – to step up like always. But for Canada, Martone is ready for the challenge, the biggest of his career – and there’s few 17-year-olds more menacing than he is right now.

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