VOORHEES, N.J. — It’s been more than a quarter-century since the Philadelphia Flyers saw a player reach 50 goals in a single season. In 1997-98, John LeClair, a power forward in the prime of his career, managed 51 goals. The now-Wells Fargo Center (and soon-to-be Xfinity Mobile Arena) was two years old.
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LeClair, 56, is part of the Flyers’ front office now. As a special advisor to hockey operations, he has the primary focus of being a resource for and keeping a watchful eye on the organization’s prospects. So, naturally, he was on the ice frequently throughout the Flyers’ five-day prospect development camp, from Wednesday through Sunday at their training center.
One guy LeClair couldn’t miss — perhaps because there already have been comparisons — was Porter Martone, a winger drafted sixth a little more than a week ago.
LeClair could score goals — 406 in his NHL career, in fact. Martone can, too. He’s combined for 70 of them in 117 games in his past two years in the OHL.
LeClair stands 6 feet 3 and weighed 226 pounds as a player. Martone is also 6-3, and, despite being just 18 years old, is already a solid 208 pounds.
Whether Martone has the ability to get to 50 one day, well, it’s much too early to make that leap. But LeClair is already encouraged by Martone’s pro potential now that he’s had a chance to observe him up close.
“He shoots the puck better than I do,” LeClair said. “The kid’s got a really good shot. He sees the ice really well. His vision is great. He understands how the game operates, as far as time and space. And he’s got something you can’t teach — he knows how to score goals. Some guys can shoot it hard but don’t know how to score. Porter’s got a purpose when he shoots.”
LeClair and everyone else on the development staff already has a decent idea of what Martone can do on the ice. General manager Daniel Briere and assistant general manager Brent Flahr already detailed on draft night what made Martone a target of theirs. But part of what makes development camp such a vital few days from a management standpoint is that they get to see how each prospect carries himself in the dressing room and among his teammates on the ice.
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Martone seemed to leave an early impression from that standpoint, too.
“Off the ice, he fits in great. He’s a really outgoing guy,” said Flyers director of player development, Riley Armstrong. “He has that little bit of swag to him. He knows that he’s a good player. I think that’s a good thing. I think you want a player that has that confidence within himself.”
Said Flahr: “To see his maturity, the way he handles himself around the group, around you guys (the media). … He’s got some swagger, in a good way. But he also is pretty aware of where he needs to get to physically in order to play — and not just play, be a top player.”
So, what does he need to do physically? One specific area that the Flyers would like to see Martone work on is his lower body strength, and, in turn, his skating. Martone’s first few strides are already “elite,” according to Armstrong, but after that, his straightaway speed can improve.
“He’s a big kid,” Armstrong said. “He has to bend down and stay in that (skating) position, that takes a lot of strength in the legs. Once that comes, then we lengthen his stride a little bit. Once he gets a little bit lower, he’s going to be even faster than what he is right now.”
LeClair can, of course, relate.
“He can get that separation,” LeClair said. “But the top end speed, when he gets going in full ice… (Armstrong) is a real good skating instructor. He’ll fix that in a hurry, and hopefully add a step or two with his open ice speed to really get him places.”
As arguably the top prospect in the system, Martone will naturally be a player to watch when he returns for Flyers training camp in September. Even if he’s still developing, there would seem to be a window for him to make the NHL team out of camp, with left wing Tyson Foerster’s status up in the air due to an infection in his arm. Martone is listed as a right wing, but said on Sunday he also played left wing frequently this past season at OHL Brampton. Remember, too, that Briere said on June 28 that Martone is “pretty close to being ready.”
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But the bar Martone needs to clear to make the Flyers’ opening night roster will still be high.
And, it might even have a name: Alex Bump.
Alex Bump has put himself in a position to compete for a position to make the Flyers roster. (Courtesy the Philadelphia Flyers)
In the scrimmage on Sunday to close out camp, Bump was head and shoulders above everyone else, including Martone. Even when Bump wasn’t generating offense — he potted two goals and hit the crossbar on a breakaway to just miss recording a hat trick — the 21-year-old wing was all around the puck, making plays and showcasing a skill and anticipation level well above those around him.
Bump already had a decent shot to make the Flyers’ opening night roster. If Foerster is still recovering in October, the odds increase.
“I think Bump’s put himself in a position, regardless of Foerster’s injury, where he’s going to be competing for a job,” Flahr said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to as far as his collegiate career, training since we’ve drafted him, and you can see the product out there for a young guy. He’s not coming to camp to hope to play one day. He’s coming to make the team.”
Bump, who wrapped up his fourth development camp since the Flyers drafted him in the fifth round of the 2022 draft, says he’s steadily improved through the years.
“I’ve come a long way, for sure,” he said. “This is my fourth (development) camp. Just try to execute what they tell me to do. Obviously, they wanted me to improve my skating and get bigger, stronger, faster so I can hold onto pucks longer. I feel like I’ve done that.”
As a college player who spent the last two seasons at Western Michigan, Bump has yet to experience an NHL training camp. Considering everything he’s accomplished — including an NCAA championship this year — and how far he’s come as a player, he acknowledged that he’s “pumped” for September.
That doesn’t mean he’s complacent, though.
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“It’s important every day to go get better, because if you don’t, someone’s catching you,” Bump said.
Martone’s going to try.
“There’s tons of great hockey players here. I think I stack up good against everyone,” Martone said. “Overall, we’ve got lots of skill in this prospect pool.”
(Top photo of Porter Martone at development camp: Courtesy Philadelphia Flyers)