Martone will add another element of offensive skill to the Flyers lineup after he led Michigan State with 25 goals and 50 points in 35 games as a freshman. Martone also helped Canada win the bronze medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship with a tournament-high six goals in seven games.
Tocchet plans to start him at right wing on a line with left wing Travis Konecny and center Christian Dvorak.
“I think (Dvorak) and ‘TK’ are veteran guys,” Tocchet said. “Those guys are good at staying close together. That’s something we were talking about. It’s a good fit for him, I think. We’ll see how it goes.”
Martone also is expected to get some time on the power play. He worked on the first power-play unit during the morning skate. Tocchet said how much Martone plays will depend on how he plays and how the game goes, but he wants to put Martone in situations where he can be comfortable and succeed.
“He’s a hockey player; just play,” Tocchet said. “We don’t want to overload him. He actually worked on the power play, and he had some good intelligence out there, so just let him play, have some fun.”
Martone said he will have family, including his parents, sister and both sets of grandparents, in attendance. So far, he isn’t feeling too nervous.
“There’s obviously a little bit of nerves,” he said. “I think that’s a good thing too. Just turn that into excitement, and honestly, go play my game.”
Martone was born in Peterborough, Ontario, but grew up rooting for the Flyers, and one of his favorite childhood photos is him with former Philadelphia forward Wayne Simmonds when his youth hockey team visited the Flyers’ practice facility.