Porter Martone
Meet Porter Martone:
The Next Great NHL Player No One Is Talking About
Martone, a Peterborough native, is currently lighting up the OHL and no one is batting an eye. But why? Simply put, great players will make a name for themselves, but as long as people don’t know your name you have to make a name for yourself. In simpler terms, he’s still extremely early for people to be taking into account what he’s actually doing. The same explanation could be made for Connor Bedard’s cousin, Gavin McKenna. Right around the time that Bedard was being drafted number 1 overall to the Chicago Blackhawks, McKenna was becoming just the 3rd player to be granted permission to play games as a 15-year-old in the WHL. But no one noticed because of, well, his cousin.
The same thing is taking place with Martone just on a much smaller level. During the Spring of 2022, Michael Misa became the 6th player in OHL history to be granted exceptional player status - alongside the likes of Connor McDavid and John Tavares. However, this would be the leading cause to what has become the shadow placed over Porter Martone’s remarkable success in the OHL this season.
His success was noticeable at a young age, starring for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in the GTHL, and U16 AAA division. There, he would post big numbers with 41 goals, 63 assists for 104 points in a mere 53 games. Thanks to a late 2006 birthdate, Martone was eligible to be drafted in the 2022 OHL priority selection just like Misa, but without the exceptional status; getting picked 5th overall by the Sarnia Sting and traded 29 games later to the Mississauga Steelheads.
Adjusting & Early Success
Martone’s early games with the Sting came as an adjusting period - tallying just 6 goals for a total of 13 points in his 29 games with the Sting. Despite flashes of talent, and no-trade clause in his contract, Martone would be asked to waive the clause so he could be dealt to the Mississauga Steelheads in exchange for NHL Draftee Ethan Del Mastro.
In contrast to his slow start on the scoresheet with Sarnia, Martone began to thrive in Mississauga. He would score 13 goals along with 9 assists in 32 games, also earning spots on Team Canada’s World U17 & U18 teams - again, thriving in large roles where he was able to consistently display his ability to be an offensive threat. His stellar performance would result in high production on the scoresheets, rallying up 7 goals for a total of 12 points in 7 games which was good for 3rd in the U17 WHC tournament for team Canada Red. Again, at the U18’s against even better competition Martone still wouldn’t disappoint with 3 goals and 6 points in 7 total games as well. Alongside his production, Martone looked like he was starting to adjust his game to the pace and speed that comes with playing against extremely high competition. By using his size, and raw talent alone, Martone was able to carve out a great 2022-23 season, that saw him make considerable jumps in his development.
Surpassing Expectations
Due to Martone’s excellent ending to his 2022-23 campaign, he entered this season with relatively high expectations. Many expected him to lead Mississauga to a successful regular season alongside Luka Misa, and show the world why he should get consideration for a lottery draft pick during his draft minus season. To say that he has over exceeded those expectations would be a major understatement.
So far this season, Martone has racked up 29 goals and 52 points (1 point behind Michael Misa as of January 29th) in 43 games for the Steelheads. Putting him on pace for 45 goals and over 80 points on the season if he can keep up this pace. The area of Martone’s game where he thrives the most is using his hands and awareness to get to areas on the ice where he can score goals. Another plus is that he’s able to maneuver around the ice smoothly for someone that is 6’3”. However he’ll need to mature to fill out his frame if he wants to become an elite NHL goal scorer, sitting at only around 170 pounds right now. His shot is already NHL ready, it’ll just be a matter of strengthening his weaknesses, and getting even craftier with his already impressive offensive skillset. As a 17-year-old, Martone already possesses much of the skill to be an impact player at the next level, time will tell if he’ll be able to mature at the rate that his game has been developing.
