For the first time, players who started their career in juniors can now switch gears and play college hockey thanks to the agreement between the CHL and NCAA.
The new agreement may immediately impact the Philadelphia Flyers, with sixth overall pick Porter Martone potentially opting for the college route after dominating the OHL with the Brampton Steelheads. Martone had 37 goals and 61 assists for 98 points in 57 games as Brampton’s captain, adding 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) in six playoff games.
The Flyers had Martone in Voorhees over the past week at Development Camp, and the two sides are planning on having a conversation about where the top prospect plays next season.
“Martone obviously has all kinds of offers,” Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said Sunday. “He wants to play in the NHL and that’s a discussion we’ll have with his agent. As much as we want him to play, we have to make sure we do what’s best for him. We’ll figure that out in the coming weeks and see what he wants to do, and go from there.”
There have already been plenty of players to commit to college hockey either from or over the CHL, with the most recent — and most notable — being Gavin McKenna. Earlier this week, McKenna officially announced his commitment to Penn State, which is one of the colleges that Martone has been linked to.
Penn State already had commitments from Luke Misa, who played with Martone in Brampton last season, and 14th overall pick Jackson Smith. An already enticing destination for Martone just got even sweeter with McKenna, who is the unanimous top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft after putting up 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers last season.
However, while Penn State landed McKenna, it also took them a record-setting $700,000 NIL offer, according to Mike McMahon, which was more than double the reported $300,000 offer from Michigan State.
Not only did Michigan State miss out on McKenna, but Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard signed his entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers after being traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. Howard led the Spartans with 52 points last season, and Michigan State will also be without Flyers prospect Karsen Dorwart, who was second on the team with 31 points.
It’s easy to see why Michigan State may go even harder after Martone now, as speculated by Elite Prospects’ Cam Robinson.
Michigan State may be able to offer more money to Martone after Penn State shelled out for McKenna, and the Flyers prospect could play on a line with 2024 fourth overall pick Cayden Lindstrom for the Spartans.
While the Flyers may be able to help guide Martone in his decision, it’s still ultimately up to the player to decide where he wants to play the upcoming season, and his goal is to make the NHL roster this season.
“My mindset is to play in the NHL next year. If the management staff here thinks otherwise, that’s when you kind of have the talk with my agent and me, but right now, my goal is to make the NHL and have a big summer. Really gain some strength in the lower body, then come into camp and try to earn my spot,” he said during Development Camp. “But for me, I want to go and I want to play a full regular season in the NHL next year.”
Some fans may have PTSD from Cutter Gauthier spurning the Flyers after an extra season in college, but it does seem like Martone wants to play in Philadelphia and has a good head on his shoulders.
The issue is that if Martone signs his entry-level contract, he is ineligible to play in the NCAA and must either make the NHL team or go back to the OHL for his age-19 season. There is a slight possibility that he could attend training camp without a contract and be a late commit if he doesn’t make the roster, but you’d have to think that the Flyers want to avoid that. There are a handful of wingers vying for a spot or two in the lineup, including a few in Alex Bump and Nikita Grebenkin, who can be sent to the AHL throughout the season.
College seems like the safest bet for Martone right now, but we’ll have to wait and see what comes of his talk with the front office, and keep an eye on things as the summer moves along.