Porter Martone made his highly anticipated NHL debut on Tuesday night and while the box score didn’t show a point, the rookie made an impression.
The 19-year-old winger logged roughly 17 minutes of ice time in the Philadelphia Flyers’ 6-4 loss to the Washington Capitals, finishing with a team-high five shots on goal. Martone consistently generated chances and looked increasingly comfortable as the game progressed.
“You dream of this since you were a little kid. I’m really excited,” Martone said ahead of his debut. “Just trying to do anything to help the team win.”
Head coach Rick Tocchet kept expectations simple. “He’s a hockey player; just play, we don’t want to overload him,” Tocchet said.
Analysts echoed the eye test. Martone “got stronger as the game went on” and “looked quite dangerous in the third period,” a promising sign for a player making the jump.
No points but plenty of presence. For Martone, it was a debut that hinted at what’s coming.
