What Landing Porter Martone Means for Michigan State

But after the Lightning traded Howard to the Edmonton Oilers — where he’d get the chance to play with NHL superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — it forced coach Adam Nightingale to scramble.

And boy did the stars align the way they were supposed to.

Martone kind of got lost in the shuffle during the recent NHL Draft. At first, it was him and James Hagens as the projected top-two prospects, and then the more the spotlight was on them, the easier it was for scouts to point out flaws in their game. Therefore, their value starts to drop.

Perhaps it’s a narrow way of thinking, but the teams that ended up drafting them at bargain values are certainly thrilled for what’s to come. And you have to believe the Philadelphia Flyers are overjoyed that Martone dropped to them at six.

And for Michigan State, Martone helps fill the massive void left by Howard, even if no one truly replaces what he brought to the locker room. Howard bled green and white and wore the script “Michigan State” across his chest with pride. A scapegoat when things went wrong, and a showman when things went right.

In reality, Martone may even have a bigger impact on the ice than Howard would’ve.

While he captained the Brampton Steelheads last season, Martone had one of the more effective seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, posting 37 goals and 61 assists for 98 points in 57 games, which is more than a point and a half per game.

His style of play aligns exactly with what NHL teams are looking for, and scouts have constantly wondered: Is he a power forward? Or a playmaker?

Why not both?

Elite Prospects compared Martone to players like Blake Wheeler and Mikko Rantanen. Both players towered over their competition, were elite skaters, used the body well, and had vision that their counterparts can only dream of.

That’s what the Spartans are getting out of Martone. A player who, when you see him on the ice, stands out vastly differently than his peers. As the kids would say, he has an “aura” about him. There’s a quiet swagger to the way he plays: confident, composed and always one step ahead.

Not only that, but he also has a wicked shot that can cause any goaltender to freeze, especially on his one-timer.

Because Martone is a right winger, the best spot to slot him is right next to Cayden Lindstrom, the former fourth overall pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Lindstrom, like Martone, is a towering, big-bodied forward who angrily charges the net.

The duo of Martone and Lindstrom has the potential to be deadly. With Martone’s vision and shot, paired with Lindstrom’s skating and scoring ability, MSU is loading up to have college hockey’s most dynamic one-two punch.

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