Not long after the graduation of Matvei Michkov, the Philadelphia Flyers once again have a top five NHL prospect in their system.
Prospect savants EliteProspects recently released their latest list of the top 100 NHL-drafted prospects, featuring Flyers picks ranging from Jett Luchanko to Alex Bump.
But, to find the first Flyers prospect on the list, you won't have to read very long at all.
Forward Porter Martone, drafted sixth overall by the Flyers in the 2025 NHL Draft in June, placed fourth overall on EliteProspects's ranking.
The only players ahead of the 18-year-old future Flyers star are 2024 first-round pick Ivan Demidov and 2025 draft classmates Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa. Not too shabby, huh?
Notably, Martone ranked ahead of players like Ryan Leonard, Zeev Buium, Beckett Sennecke, James Hagens, Michigan State University teammate Cayden Lindstrom, and Tij Iginla.
Players like Brady Martin and Anton Frondell didn't even crack the top 20 in this ranking.
"Porter Martone understands hockey at a deeper level than most. He knows where to be, how to move, and where to pass to break the opposition’s coverage and score," EliteProspects director of North American scouting Mitch Brown wrote.
"Not only does he have all the necessary tools to play in the NHL, but his hockey sense grades as elite. If he can become more physical and add pace to his game, he should become a top-line play-driver."
Should Martone take that next step as Brown suggests, he'll provide with the Flyers with yet another elite player on the wings alongside Matvei Michkov.
Martone, of course, would be the second star prospect at the position in the last two years for the Flyers, succeeding Michkov.
The Flyers would love to add more high-end talent down the middle to get the puck to those guys, but it's not as if they don't have it all.
Plus, Brown predicted Luchanko would eventually take over as a second-line center for the Flyers in the near future, particularly due to his unobstructed path to the role.
A new addition like Trevor Zegras might have something to say about that, but there are no guarantees the former Anaheim Duck is a long-term solution with only one year remaining on his contract.
So long as Martone continues to progress in the NCAA, as widely expected, the Flyers will be in a good position to contend for a Stanley Cup for a long time.
Expect the No. 6 overall pick to see NHL ice as soon as this upcoming spring after his freshman season in the NCAA.
