Porter Martone, a right wing with Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League, filed a draft diary for NHL.com this season leading up to the 2025 NHL Draft at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles this weekend. The 18-year-old (6-foot-3, 208 pounds), who was born in Peterborough, Ontario, is No. 6 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American players for the 2025 draft. He tied for seventh in the OHL with 98 points (37 goals, 61 assists) in 57 games as team captain this season. He had nine points (four goals, five assists) in six OHL playoff games.
LOS ANGELES -- What an amazing night experience this has been.
My family and I got into Los Angeles on Wednesday and we were able to do a bit of sightseeing. We went to the Santa Monica Pier on Wednesday night, and then Thursday I got to play a round of golf at Riviera Country Club.
It was me, Victor Eklund, Michael Misa and Matthew Schaefer. I had the best score, shot an 82, so I have bragging rights.
I was actually a bit nervous Friday morning. But I got to go on the ice with Misa, Schaefer and a few of the other guys at a kids clinic at the Kings practice rink. It definitely takes your mind off things. Just being able to go out there and kind of give back to those kids is a big thing for me. I really enjoyed doing that.
That clinic helped ease things and then any nerves I had, they totally went away as soon as I got to Peacock Theater and walked the red carpet.
It was pretty cool to kind of see all the people, they're asking you for your signature and stuff. It was special. It was kind of cool to be on a red carpet in L.A. and then to come in the draft. It was lots of fun.
I tried to stay calm as the names were going by. I had a feeling that it could be the Flyers. I knew that they liked me. I didn't really know where I was going to go. After No. 2 it could have been really anyone in that range all the way to 10. When Philly did call me (at No. 6), Charles Barkley making a pick was pretty cool. It was pretty surreal to get picked by the Flyers.
I got to show off my vest when I got my jersey. The back of it has a picture of the pond I grew up playing on. It's where I started playing hockey, where I fell in love with the game. And I've got letters on there from my parents and my sister saying how proud they are of me. For my parents to write those letters, and my sister, they've been there for me for my entire hockey career, so many early morning drives, late night drives home from practice. I thought I'd bring them on my back going up on stage.
