Why two Flyers ‘pushed hard’ for Martone as NHL draft neared originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
VOORHEES, N.J. — Danny Briere had some extra scouts on the ground in Sweden and Denmark as the Flyers were doing their final homework around a month and a half out from the 2025 NHL draft.
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The scouts gave the general manager an up-close read on Porter Martone.
The scouts were Flyers alternate captains Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny.
The two, along with Tyson Foerster, were Martone’s teammates on Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
What was the scouting report?
“Just a great kid, a lot of energy, fun to be around, good teammate,” Sanheim said Monday. “Coming over there and having the opportunity to play with some of the players that were on our team, I think he really took advantage of that, soaked it up, wanted to be there, wanted to learn and wanted to get better.”
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The scouting report must have been pretty good because the Flyers ended up taking Martone at No. 6 overall. And so far, the pick has looked pretty good, too. The 19-year-old freshman leads top-ranked Michigan State with 14 points through 10 games. He has seven goals, seven assists and a plus-12 rating for the 9-1-0 Spartans.
Martone played just two games for Team Canada, but he made the most of being surrounded by NHL players, guys like Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon. It left an impression on Sanheim and Konecny.
“I thought just the way that he handled himself over there in that environment with the group of guys that we had,” Sanheim said, “that’s why we pushed hard, me and T.K., with Danny, when he asked us about him.
“Danny said after that we had a lot of impact in them making that pick. Really excited to see where he develops and gets to because I think he’s going to be a really good player.”
(Nick King/Lansing State Journal via USA Today Images)
Konecny smiled Monday when Martone was mentioned, calling him “the best.”
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“Oh yeah,” Konecny said, “I was all in.”
When Briere inquired about the 6-foot-3 winger, Konecny praised Martone’s intangibles.
“The one thing that’s hard to know is a guy’s personality and who you’re actually getting,” Konecny said. “I said, ‘That’s a guy you can work with, that’s a guy that’s going to compete, that’s a guy that’s willing to learn, become a pro, play the right way.’ You don’t really always get that information before the draft. And then on top of that, I mean, I think he can develop into a really special player.”
Some felt Martone wouldn’t be there for the Flyers at No. 6. Sanheim and Konecny were pumped to message him after his name was called.
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“Me and T.K. were texting the night of the draft and got him in the group chat and were fired up for him,” Sanheim said. “He was fired up to come to the Flyers. I know being at worlds with him, we were a team that he wanted to come to. That’s exciting for us.”