Landing a commitment from future No. 1 overall selection of the 2026 NHL Draft Gavin McKenna was only one goal for Penn State men's hockey's offseason, and the hot Nittany Lions' recruitment roll isn't over yet. Head coach Guy Gadowsky has his sights set on a few more high-profile players, and it's no surprise that up next is yet another first round pick from Canada.
Porter Martone, a right winger from Peterborough, Canada, is a power forward that Penn State's looking to snipe next.
Penn State men's hockey is in the running to land forward Porter Martone
Martone was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, going to the Philadelphia Flyers. He's is coming off his season as a captain for the Ontario Hockey League's Brampton Steelheads in the Canadian Hockey League. With the Steelheads, Martone totaled 98 points on 37 goals and 61 assists over 57 games, and ended his season +19.
EliteProspects 2025 NHL Draft Guide wrote of the forward:
"While Martone is known as a power forward, it’s more accurate to describe him as a playmaker. The patterns of the game seem imprinted in his mind. Constantly scanning the ice and knowing his teammates’ tendencies, system’s rotations, and the expected movements of defenders, he stays connected with linemates, avoids coverage, and puts himself in advantageous spots to make the next play. He builds deft passing plays, moves ahead of the opposition, and preys on defenders’ and goalies’ expectations, manipulating them to open up great scoring possibilities."
According to NHL Central Scouting, Martone stayed the highest-ranked winger from the eligible 2025 NHL Draft prospects and was originally ranked the fourth-best overall skater. Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, and Jake O'Brien were the other OHL players to get drafted before Martone. Misa's older brother, Luke, is currently committed to Penn State as well and the Nittany Lions could be a contender to land Michael as well.
Four schools are currently in the race to land Martone: Michigan, North Dakota, Michigan State, and Penn State. Considering the Spartans just took a huge blow in not getting McKenna, the Nittany Lions will have to out-recruit assuming Michigan State applies a lot of pressure on Martone.
If he were to choose Penn State, the combination of Martone and McKenna will be lethal. McKenna already has it all going for him, and adding another high hockey IQ on the sheet will only make him unstoppable. There's no guarantee that the two will be linemates, but if Gadowsky tests out a rookie line at the start of the season, Martone and McKenna could potentially ride out the season together.