Top-scoring freshman Porter Martone, a dazzling talent, trades Michigan State's green and white for Philadelphia after a standout college campaign.
Michigan State freshman Porter Martone has officially signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Flyers selected Martone with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and now, less than 24 hours after Michigan State’s season came to a heartbreaking end, the Spartans’ top scorer is headed to the NHL.
Martone will join Philadelphia for the remainder of the season, though he is not expected to skate in the Flyers’ next game against the Stars.
For Michigan State fans, this one feels like the official closing of the book on one of the most entertaining individual seasons in recent Spartan hockey memory.
Martone led Michigan State in scoring this season, and if you watched as many Spartan games as I did, then you already know just how special he is. He scored 25 goals on the year, and it felt like every one of them came with some kind of flair. Whether it was his release, his timing, or just his ability to take over a shift, Martone looked every bit like a future NHL talent from the moment he stepped on the ice in East Lansing.
In his first — and now only — season in the green and white, Martone helped lead Michigan State to a No. 3 national ranking, with the Spartans holding the top spot in the polls for a large stretch of the season.
Unfortunately for Michigan State, the ending didn’t match the heights of the middle.
The Spartans stumbled late, losing four of their final seven games, including a first-round exit in the Big Ten Tournament and, ultimately, a crushing loss in the regional final of the NCAA Tournament.
Martone was held scoreless in that regional final against Wisconsin, but even without one of his usual highlight-reel moments, the Spartans were still just five minutes away from reaching the Frozen Four for the first time in 19 years.
Then came the collapse.
A stunning Wisconsin comeback ended Michigan State’s season in brutal fashion and slammed the door shut on what had once looked like a championship-caliber run.
And now, just like that, Martone is gone.
That’s the reality when a player of his caliber comes through college hockey.
Martone has been a force everywhere he’s played, and this season only added to that reputation. He also starred for Team Canada at the World Juniors, where he served as captain and led the entire tournament with six goals and nine points in seven games.
Back in East Lansing, he only got better as the season rolled on.
Martone closed the year on an absolute heater, scoring 14 goals and adding 16 assists over his final 19 games. He was also the only freshman named First Team All-Big Ten, a fitting honor for a player who consistently looked like one of the best skaters on the ice every night.
Alongside linemates Daniel Russell and Charlie Stramel, Martone helped form one of the most dangerous top lines in all of college hockey this season. That trio gave opponents problems all year long, and more often than not, Martone was the one driving the chaos.
Now, he heads from a team fresh off a devastating playoff loss to another one still trying to keep its season alive.
The Flyers have been red hot as they continue pushing for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With ten games remaining, Philadelphia sits right in the middle of a tight race near the bottom of the standings.
That also means Red Wings fans may not have to wait long to see Martone in orange and black.
Detroit and Philadelphia are set to face off twice in the final eight games, creating two potential opportunities for Spartan fans — especially those who also bleed red and white — to get an early look at Martone at the NHL level.
And if he does crack the lineup soon, those games could carry major playoff implications.
From a Michigan State perspective, Martone’s departure is a tough but expected one. Players like that don’t usually stay in college hockey long, and honestly, he never looked like someone who would need much time before making the jump.
As a Spartan fan, I hope Martone thrives in the league because he will absolutely be missed in East Lansing.
As a Red Wings fan, I’d prefer that success wait until next season.
But as a Martone fan — and honestly, just as a hockey fan — I’m telling anyone who hasn’t paid attention yet to get ready.
Because if Porter Martone is anywhere near the player he looked like at Michigan State, there’s a very real chance the rest of the league is about to find out what Spartan fans already know:
there’s no stopping him.