Porter Martone: Could He Be NHL-Ready This Fall?

It`s draft season, and hockey front offices are poring over detailed scouting reports. Teams are dissecting every aspect of players` games, seeking subtle indicators of their potential at the next level.

This process often leads to over-analysis.

When it comes to Porter Martone, the power winger for the Brampton Steelheads, you could certainly fill a notebook with his skills. However, the key takeaway is straightforward: He is a pure hockey player.

An executive from a competing OHL team commented, “Some people love hockey, and then there`s Porter Martone`s level of love for the game and everything it entails. The scoring, the effort, the trash talk; he`s a hockey player through and through, and that intensity is contagious.”

Last fall, Sportsnet featured Martone before the first-ever CHL-USA Prospects Challenge. In that article, Steelheads coach James Richmond shared a story about how hard he tried to get Martone to rest after his first full season with Brampton, which was followed by Canada`s gold medal win at the 2024 U-18 World Championship in Finland.

Martone, who serves as Brampton`s captain, also captained Team Canada in Finland and the CHL squad at the prospects challenge. He was tired and nursing some injuries, leading Richmond to plead with Martone and his family. “I was begging them to keep him off the ice for about six weeks,” Richmond recalled.

Richmond`s plea was only partially successful. He`d ask Martone, “`How does it feel [being off]?` And he`d reply, `It feels really good, but I want to get skating!`”

Does that sound like someone passionate about hockey?

Here’s a closer look at a player widely expected to be the first winger selected in the 2025 draft.

What Scouts and Opponents Say

Martone is a classic power winger, a type of player highly sought after by NHL teams. This season, he recorded 37 goals and 61 assists for 98 points in 57 games and was utilized in all situations for Brampton. Richmond lightheartedly remarked that Martone would “be screaming and yelling” at him if he wasn`t.

According to Sam Cosentino, Martone possesses “one of the best pure shots in the draft.”

With his large build, skilled hands, and sometimes feisty attitude, Martone presents a challenging matchup for opponents.

The OHL executive noted, “You never quite know what kind of game he`s going to bring on a given night. He can play a skilled game, a physical game, he can be gritty, or he can open things up offensively. Some of his goals, whether one-on-one or on penalty shots, are truly highlight-worthy. When we face him, it`s one of those situations where you think, `Man, I dislike playing against this guy,` but you also genuinely enjoy watching him perform.”

Comparisons to Corey Perry

Martone welcomes comparisons to elite power forwards in the game, particularly Matthew Tkachuk. It`s reasonable to believe Martone could develop into a player with a similar impact in the NHL.

Another frequent comparison is to peak Corey Perry. This parallel is easy to draw, as both players hail from Peterborough, shoot right-handed, and have worn the number 94 at various times.

Richmond added, “[Perry] has a long, lanky body; Porter also has a long, lanky body.”

An NHL Debut This Fall?

Earlier in the year, Martone was considered a potential first-overall pick. While that seems improbable now, with Matthew Schaefer widely projected to go first to the Islanders, it raises the question of whether Martone might be the most likely player from this draft class to step directly into the NHL next fall.

Typically, the only player from a draft who immediately makes the leap to the NHL is the first overall selection. While Schaefer is a possibility, a couple of factors warrant consideration. Firstly, he`s a defenseman, a particularly challenging position for an 18-year-old in the NHL. Secondly, injuries limited Schaefer to just 17 games last season, suggesting a team might prefer him to gain more experience in the OHL or NCAA, especially given his position.

Anton Frondell has pro size but is set to play another year in Sweden. Michael Misa, like Martone, has already played three major junior seasons, and even if he`s ready for a tougher challenge, it would likely be in the NCAA against older, stronger competition.

Then there`s Martone.

As a 2006-born player with a late birthday, Martone will turn 19 in October. He possesses the size and strength needed to compete with professionals. As a winger, the demands on him would be slightly less than for a defenseman or center jumping into the NHL. It`s quite plausible he could play around 15 minutes per night on a third line, easing into the league with limited pressure before taking on a bigger role in a season or two.

While Martone is no longer the top candidate for first overall, he is definitely in contention starting with San Jose at No. 2 and certainly by Chicago at No. 3. Although the NCAA option is a new and viable path for many top major junior prospects, it`s not unreasonable that an NHL club might view Martone as ready for the league and believe he`d benefit most from learning in a restricted capacity there.

One thing is certain: this player won`t be intimidated.

Martone was initially drafted by the OHL`s Sarnia Sting but was traded to Brampton during his rookie year when Sarnia was building a veteran team for a championship run. The OHL executive remembered seeing Martone`s very first games in the league against one of the circuit`s prominent organizations.

“He wasn`t scared as a 16-year-old,” the executive stated. “I recall it was his first pre-season game at 16 with Sarnia in London, and he was trying to fight guys. It was one of those moments where you just thought, `This kid is different.`”

When NHL teams share that assessment about a player, they typically don`t have to wait long before hearing his name called on draft day.