Michigan State hockey earns commitment from coveted forward Porter Martone
Michigan State hockey earned a big commitment from 2006-born forward/winger and priority target Porter Martone on Monday. Martone announced his pledge to the Spartans on Instagram.
The news was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Monday morning, with Martone later publicly committing to MSU via social media.
He will join the Spartans this fall and compete for the Green and White during the 2025-2026 season. Martone’s commitment comes shortly after MSU missed out on another priority target, Gavin McKenna, who committed to Penn State earlier this month.
Martone was selected sixth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. He went through development camp with the Flyers earlier this month. Before joining Michigan State, Martone is also expected to play for his home country, Team Canada, at the upcoming World Junior Summer Showcase (July 25 through Aug. 2 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis). He previously played at the 2025 IIHF World Championship tournament.
While it was possible he could have played in the NHL for the 2025-2026 campaign, Martone and the Flyers have opted for him to play college hockey this season to continue his development.
At Michigan State, Martone will play under head coach Adam Nightingale, associate head coach Jared DeMichiel, assistant coach Mike Towns and the rest of the Spartans’ staff.
Previously, Martone played in for the Brampton/Mississauga Steelheads in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). During the 2024-2025 season, Martone put together an incredibly impressive season, recording 37 goals, 61 assists and 98 total points in just 57 games during the regular season. He added nine points in the playoffs.
During the 2023-2024 campaign, Martone scored 71 total points in 60 games played. He recorded 33 goals and 38 assists that season. He also tallied six points in the playoffs that year.
In 2022-2023, Martone amassed 19 goals, 16 assists and 35 total points between the Sarnia Sting and Steelheads. He scored six additional points during the playoffs that season.
As mentioned, Martone also has several games of experience playing for Team Canada at various levels and has been productive in those settings as well.
In addition to his scoring prowess, the 6-foot-3, 208-pound Peterborough, Ontario, Canada native provides great size and physicality for the Spartans.
Martone joins fellow incoming freshmen Cayden Lindstrom, Ryker Lee, Austin Baker, Melvin Strahl, Eric Nilson, Anthony Romani, Matthew Lahey and Cole Ward at Michigan State this coming season.
Despite losing reigning Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard to the NHL, Michigan State is expected to enter the 2025-2026 season as one of the top-ranked hockey teams in the country. The Spartans are coming off of back-to-back Big Ten regular-season championships and back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles.