Flyers’ Porter Martone Opens Season as Calder Trophy Favorite

Porter Martone has arrived in Philadelphia with the kind of attention that can weigh down a teenager, but the Flyers winger says pressure has always been part of the appeal. After a nine-game audition helped push Philadelphia back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring, the 19-year-old opens his first full NHL campaign as the early Calder Trophy favorite.

Martone led a 16-member preseason ballot with 70 points and nine first-place votes. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Gavin McKenna was next at 59 points, while San Jose Sharks forward Ivar Stenberg and Washington Capitals defenseman Cole Hutson were tied at 34.

“When there’s talk around you, there’s pressure,” Martone said. “I love that. Ever since I was young, I’ve liked those big-pressure moments and situations.”

Martone gets the Flyers’ top-six look

1. Philadelphia selected Martone sixth overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, then watched him produce 10 points, including four goals, in his first nine regular-season games late in 2025-26.
2. He added two goals and three assists in 10 playoff games as the Flyers reached the postseason for the first time in five years.
3. Martone entered this season on the right side of a top-six line with center Trevor Zegras. He has no points through three games, but is averaging 12:31 in ice time per night, including 1:46 on the power play.

The 6-foot-3, 214-pound forward brings the frame and hands to hold pucks along the wall, get to the blue paint and finish around the crease. His next step is tied closely to his skating: continued progress there could determine whether he settles in as a 50-to-60-point power winger or becomes a near point-per-game producer.

“That’s something I’m going to keep working on,” Martone said of his skating. “I never feel like I’m at my best, and I know I can improve. That’s a daily focus.”

He has handled prominent stages before reaching the Flyers. Martone posted 25 goals and 25 assists in 35 games as a Michigan State freshman last season, leading the team with 50 points. As Canada’s captain at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, he led the tournament with six goals in seven games while helping the club earn bronze. He also recorded a goal and four assists in 10 games at the 2026 IIHF World Championship.

Martone said he would have returned to Michigan State had he not believed he could make a difference in Philadelphia and help the Flyers win.

No Flyers player has won the Calder Trophy. Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer claimed the award last season.

The closest challengers

Gavin McKenna, Toronto Maple Leafs

McKenna, 18, was the first pick of the 2026 draft and has already shown why Toronto views him as a potential centerpiece of its offense. The 5-foot-11, 164-pound winger collected 15 goals and 36 assists in 35 games as a freshman at Penn State, then put up four goals and 10 assists in seven World Juniors games for Canada.

He has started on the left wing beside John Tavares. Through three NHL games, McKenna has three shots on goal and is averaging 14:32.

Ivar Stenberg, San Jose Sharks

Stenberg turned 19 on Sept. 30 and joins a Sharks group built around young skill, with Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Michael Misa among the potential linemates around him. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward was selected second overall in 2026 after recording 11 goals and 22 assists in 43 games for Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League. His 33 points were the fifth-highest total in the league’s history for a player 18 or younger.

1. Stenberg shared Sweden’s team scoring lead at the 2026 World Juniors, posting four goals and six assists in seven games as Sweden won gold.
2. He followed that with four goals and four assists in eight games at the 2026 World Championship.
3. His first NHL point came in Game 2, an assist on Tyler Toffoli’s goal during San Jose’s 5-4 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Cole Hutson, Washington Capitals

Hutson has stepped directly into major minutes on the Washington blue line. The 20-year-old scored in the Capitals’ 5-2 season-opening win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday and is averaging 19:06 through two games.

The 43rd pick in the 2024 draft finished his second Boston University season before joining Washington last year, collecting three goals and seven assists in 14 NHL games. He also had one goal and three assists in three games for the United States at the 2026 World Juniors.

At the 2025 tournament, Hutson helped the United States win gold and became the first defenseman to finish alone atop the scoring race, totaling three goals and eight assists in seven games.

Preseason Calder ballot

The ballot used a 5-4-3-2-1 point system. The race is only a few games old, but Martone has the early edge, a prime offensive role in Philadelphia and no interest in ducking the spotlight that comes with it.