Michigan State's Porter Martone celebrates his empty net goal against Notre Dame during the third period on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at the Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

MSU Praised for Porter Martone's Key Development

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Jacob Cotsonika | Last updated Mar 31, 2026 11:30 AM ET

Michigan State's top skater is now an NHL'er.

Porter Martone, coming off a 50-point season at MSU , has already signed his entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers chose him with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

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Martone seems set to make his NHL debut on Tuesday night against the Washington Capitals. Philadelphia is in the midst of a tight playoff race, sitting two points out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with nine games left to play, so Martone's first NHL action will be high-stakes and quite meaningful.

That also means the Flyers wouldn't be putting him out there if they didn't think he was ready. Their general manager, Daniel Briere , credited Michigan State for helping him get ready for the pros.

What Briere Said

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"The one thing I'd like to say is how thankful we are to Michigan State, the coaching staff, his teammates there," Briere said about Martone's development on Sunday. "How Porter embraced the role of going there and also how much he developed this year, we give Michigan State a lot of credit for that."

"The whole staff there was really impressed with what they did with Porter, and we think he's really close to being ready to play in the NHL."

Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What is really standing out to Briere and Philadelphia is the work Martone has done off the ice. Players commonly praise the work of director of athletic performance Will Morlock. It seems he and Martone did plenty together.

"I think physically, the way that he's developed physically," Briere said when asked where he's seen Martone grow the most since drafting him. "That was the biggest reason for encouraging the move to the NCAA this season, to have a kind of a stepping stone from the [Ontario Hockey League] to the NHL, developing his body, getting stronger."

"I think the amount of time he's 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, and his play on the ice spoke for itself. You guys have all seen what he's done and how dominant he was."

Martone Is Ready

Getting that type of praise from NHL general managers is a big deal. More and more draft picks are going the collegiate route now, but these GMs can certainly make suggestions on where to send players. Adam Nightingale has done a nice job making the Spartans a destination where NHL teams can feel comfortable sending their up-and-coming talent.