Philadelphia Flyers general manager put his stamp of approval on the NCAA development route for top prospect Porter Martone on Sunday when addressing the media.

Instead of joining the Flyers or even returning to the OHL, Martone decided to go to college and play for the Michigan State Spartans. The NCAA route was new to CHL talent this past year. This season was the first year that some of the best players from the CHL were eligible to play college hockey.

That paved the way for players like Martone, Gavin McKenna, Keaton Verhoeff, and many others to attend college. It was not the traditional path, but it could very well become a common theme. Martone could become the first of many success stories from the CHL to the NCAA pipeline.

Talking about Martone’s development in the last year, Briere said this:

“The way he’s developed physically. That was the biggest reason for encouraging the move to the NCAA this season. To have that kind of a stepping stone to the OHL to the NHL. Developing his body, getting stronger. I think the amount of time he spent in the gym, you can see in his body how it’s changed. It’s almost like going from a teenager to a man. His play on the ice spoke for itself. You guys have all seen what he’s done and how dominant he was.

“He took a step, too, playing against men in the NCAA. There are a lot of strong players that are much older than the 16-and 17-year-olds in the CHL. It was a good stepping stone for him. We feel he’s developed nicely physically and mentally, and is close to being ready to be in the NHL. We’ll see in the next few weeks.”

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Martone echoes Briere, thanking Michigan State for his development

Porter Martone had nothing but glowing things to say about Michigan State and their coaching staff, similar to the way head coach Adam Nightingale talked about Martone earlier this year.

“I have a ton of thanks for Adam Nightingale and the whole staff [at Michigan State],” Martone said. “They did a tremendous job developing me. I learned so much as a player in the gym, creating pro habits. And you know, I really learned what it’s like to be part of a winning culture, winning team there.”

Martone said the Spartans did a really good job developing him as a player and helping him mature as a person.

“I think from when I went into Michigan State to now, I matured a lot as a person. You know, I’ve grown up a lot. That’s something that needed to happen.”

There was also a cohesive relationship between Michigan State and the Flyers. Martone said that the organization remained very much involved with his development over the past year.

“The flyers were great with me when I was there – the whole development staff. They made probably 10 different trips to come see me and Shane [Vansaghi] play. I did video [sessions] with Riley Armstrong every single week, just kind of what they want to see, what they want me to improve on. Both sides, you know, the Michigan State Spartans and Philly, they did a great job for my development.”

The physical development

As a player, we know Martone had a great season. His 25 goals and 50 total points in 35 games rank amongst the top in the college ranks. He did that as a 19-year-old.

Martone talked about playing from the hash marks down and in front of the net. He also mentioned that Nightingale told Martone he needed to improve his pace to play at the NHL level. Martone worked on those things in college.

In the NCAA, you typically play two games a week. That leaves plenty of time for practices and conditioning. Martone said that was one of the biggest differences from the CHL to the NCAA jump. “I think the thing that I noticed is the practices. You only play two times a week. And I think [college] is the last time in your career that you’re going to be able to have four practices a week.”

The competitive nature of the practices was a bonus. “How competitive our practice are; that’s kind of what you look forward to. That’s what got you better. Going on the ice every day and competing with your teammates, that’s the big thing I noticed.”

Martone also gave a special thanks to MSU strength coach Will Morlock, who helped him get stronger and push his pace on the ice.

“We did an InBody scan [at the beginning of the year], I think I was 198 pounds. My last one, I was 210 pounds. I lost 3% body fat. So I gained a lot of muscle mass. And you know, that’s something that I give a lot of credit to, Michigan State and our strength coach, Will Morlock. He was great with me. [Morlock] kind of taught me the pro habits, how to prepare my body, and how to cool down. Then, you know, we got to work out four times a week, and that’s something that I needed. I noticed a big difference, just being able to have more endurance in games and be able to last longer.”

The whirlwind from the NCAA Tournament to signing an NHL contract

Martone is excited to be a Flyer. Still, being one so soon after Michigan State’s elimination from the NCAA tournament comes with mixed emotions.

“Obviously, it was tough,” Martone said. “Getting beat out, we had expectations there in Michigan State to go on a deep run and hopefully make the Frozen Four. And you know, I loved our game. It was an unfortunate loss to Wisconsin. They’re a really good hockey team.”

Michigan State was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament after an overtime loss to Wisconsin on Saturday night. By lunchtime on Sunday, Martone had signed an NHL contract. The 19-year-old said in the moments after the loss, he just wanted to spend time with his teammates.

“That night, [I was] just trying to spend it with my teammates, with our seniors who are moving on. I felt like we really created brotherhood there at Michigan State. You know, I love that place so much.”

After sleeping on the loss, Martone then started thinking about what was next. “Then I woke up in the morning and got thinking about what’s the next step? To have the opportunity to come here with the flyers and help them win a playoff push. I think that was a no-brainer for me. I’m really excited to be here.”

Martone says going to Michigan State was the ‘best decision of his life’

The new Flyer was not shy about his gratitude for Michigan State and how happy he is with his decision to spend the last year in East Lansing. Whether it was the coaching staff and their developmental plan, or his teammates and the bonds he’s created, Martone clearly made the most of his year in the NCAA

“I made the best decision of my life to go to Michigan State. And you know, I thank them because that year that I was there, I met some of my best friends, the bonds with the coaching staff. And you know, they’re always welcoming you back there. I’m a Spartan for life.”

Martone was one of the first of a very talented CHL pool to make the jump to the NCAA. With the way this went, he certainly won’t be one of the last.

Now, Martone is living out his dream.

“Ever since you were a kid, this has been kind of a dream. It’s kind of surreal that it’s here, and you know how it happened. I’m really excited to be part of this organization and to be a Flyer.”

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